Primal Magic
by Sutenhotep
Summary: After the DoM, Harry finds blocked powers, new abilities, and a sudden need to marry Tonks.
1. A Fated Circumstance

Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to Harry Potter, and precious little of this plot. This is my first attempt, and I need all the feedback I can get.

The pre-dawn quiet of Privet Drive was shattered by the scream of a wild haired boy in the smallest bedroom at number 4. Almost immediately, the sound was cut off, and silence reasserted itself.

In that room, the air shimmered, as a young woman slipped out of her invisibility cloak. The young woman sat on the bed, and tried to comfort the boy, holding him tightly, and gently rocking the distraught teen, until he quieted and slowly awoke.

Harry awoke to find himself in a warm embrace. The person holding him was obviously female, and, at first, he thought he was still asleep, but had somehow slipped from another terrible nightmare, into a wonderful dream. As he fully awoke, he heard a soft soprano whispering brokenly.

" Shhh, Harry. It's okay." Realizing it was not a dream, his body stiffened in embarrassment. Apparently the woman felt this, and released him, backing off enough for him to recognize the spiky pink hair of Nymphadora Tonks.

"Wotcher, Harry?" Tonks smiled weakly and handed Harry his glasses. As she came fully into focus, Harry was disturbed to see she was crying. Without thinking, Harry raised his hand, and gently wiped her tears away. Her head moved so his hand cupped her cheek, and her smile brightened.

"How do you do that?" she asked with a small chuckle. " I was trying to make you feel better, and you end up comforting me."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Harry started to blush, "you took the nightmare away completely. I thought I was in another type of dream when I woke up." By the end of the statement, the blush had reached a proper Gryffindor red.

Tonks rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Heaven help me, I'd forgotten what you lot were like at 15. Of course, it seems different with a few years perspective." A mischievous glint entered her eyes, "If I didn't know better from the others, I might have thought this was staged. It would be the kind of thing Sirius would pull."

At the mention of Sirius' name, both of their faces blanked. Harry shut his eyes, as tears started once again to stain his cheeks. Tonks hand flew to her mouth, and then she embraced Harry once again.

"I'm so sorry. My big mouth won't stay shut. Maybe I should leave?"

Harry returned the embrace, all awkwardness submerged by need.

"Please, don't go yet. You're the only one who's talked to me. He probably would have wanted to be remembered for his pranks. He would have been proud of me if I'd done exactly what you said. Unfortunately, I just can't do that. I'll prank people, but I won't play with their emotions, especially now that I can see what could happen."

Tonks squeezed a bit harder, and then released him. "Your way is less prone to get you hexed by the witches." She then cocked her head and studied his face. "In fact, if you act toward the girls at school the way you act toward me, you'll have them eating out of your hand."

Harry chuckled, "What, cry all over them, then blush when I get shown attention? Is that the trick? Is that why Cho was always either crying or getting jealous?"

Tonks laughed quietly, "No, trying to cheer someone else, and very gently I might add, when you are down. Then the quiet flirting, the kind of compliment a girl will believe." She paused, and shook her head. "You mean to tell me that you have only had one girlfriend?"

Harry looked a little stunned. "Well, I get in trouble a lot, I'm not really smart or handsome. In second year, everyone thought I was petrifying people. In forth year, they thought I was a glory hound. Last year, I was supposed to be mad and dangerous. Who would want to be my girlfriend?"

Tonks stared at him, her eyes goggled and her mouth gaping. "Harry, you must be joking. You've been a star seeker since your first year, you are famous and rich, and you are generous to a fault. Do you mean to tell me that no Griffyndor girl is brave enough, no Slytherin girl ambitious enough, no Ravenclaw girl smart enough, and no Hufflepuff girl willing to work hard enough to catch you?"

"Well, maybe some have tried, but I was just too thick to see." Harry started to look down, but then realized that he was looking at Tonks' rather tight T-shirt, and his head snapped back up. "Hermione says I am rather thick when it comes to girls."

"She may be right, but it still sounds a bit fishy to me." Her face then hardened. "Harry, I need to tell you about something, which is why I was in your room during your nightmare. I was waiting for you to wake up to give you this" Harry saw her pull a letter from her robe pocket. "I thought you might need someone with you when you read it."

Harry examined the letter, which had the Gringotts seal. He cautiously opened it and read:

Mr. Potter,

We would like to express our condolences on the death of your Godfather, Sirius Orion Black. His will reading will take place on June 30th, after which there will be a 60 day period to probate the will. The will will be executed on the 31st of August.

You are listed as Mr. Black's primary beneficiary, therefore, you or your appointed representative should be here at Gringott's London at 10:00A.M. on both dates.

Ragnot

"I don't want anything from Sirius." Harry muttered through a tear stained face.

Tonks squeezed his shoulders, "I know. Neither do I. But I think we owe it to him to at least hear what he wanted, and try to make sure it happens."

"I feel responsible for his death. How could I take anything?" Harry closed his eyes and started to shake.

Tonks grabbed his chin and lifted, "Look at me Harry, I was there too. There was no way you were responsible. It wasn't you being there that got him killed. It was a combination of Bellatrix Lestrange, her boss, Sirius' own cockiness, and a dangerous environment." By the end of her reassurances, she was staring into his eyes intently, and

Harry felt the emotion behind the words, as well as the meaning. All Harry could do was nod to her.

Her expression changed to her normal good cheer. "Please, go to the reading. Remus and I will both be there, but so will the Malfoys, as well as the Headmaster. We need all the allies we can get!"

Harry produced one of his lopsided smiles, and nodded, "Okay, I'll be there, if for no other reason than to prevent Malfoy from gloating."

By now, the sun had risen, and Harry went off about his morning routine, while Tonks took up position outside under her invisibility cloak, until she was relieved at 8:00 A.M.


	2. Waking up Dumbledore

Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to Harry Potter, and precious little of this plot. This is my first attempt, and I need all the feedback I can get.

When her shift ended, Tonks returned to Headquarters. Her presence at Grimauld Place was announced by the sound of her tripping over the troll leg umbrella stand. She was so angry after speaking with Harry that she destroyed the troll leg with a reducto, and silenced Mrs. Black's portrait by impaling it with the three umbrellas that were in the stand. Tonks then went in search of Dumbledore.

She found him in the kitchen, along with Remus, Mad-eye, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"Professor Dumbledore, why is Harry still at the Dursleys? I have reported to you that every night this week Harry has had nightmares throughout most of the time he is trying to sleep. His relatives ignore him at best, and yell at him for waking them up in the night. To top this all off, you have instructed all of us not to talk to him. If I recall correctly, the isolation you are putting him through is similar to the method of breaking prisoners! I'm here to tell you that I could no longer stand by and watch him suffer, especially since I had to deliver his letter from Gringotts." Her volume increased through out her speech.

"What exactly did you do, Nymphadora?" Dumbledore looked amused, which pushed Tonks over the edge.

"I tried to comfort him like any feeling person would, you insensitive bastard! When he woke up, the poor sweet kid tried to comfort me! Why do you put him through this torture? He understands pain too well for a 15-year-old, you can see it in his eyes. Why do you treat him this way? I thought you cared for him!"

The Headmaster seemed to age as Tonks berated him, and his eyes lost their twinkle.

"I care for him a great deal, Miss Tonks. I had thought you were overly worried in your earlier reports. I had assumed there would be some distress due to the circumstances, but he had seemed to come to terms with Sirius' death while still at school. I can tell by your present state of mind that Harry's present distress is worse than I had anticipated." Dumbledore's voice sounded old and strained.

"Worse than you anticipated? His nightmares aren't only about Sirius. He has screamed out about Hermione and Ginny most often, but also has mentioned Ron, Neville, Luna, and someone named Cedric. In all of these instances, he is pleading, 'Please don't die'. I've placed silencing charms on his room for the past week, so he won't have to suffer the consequences for waking his relatives with his screams." Tonks took a breath, and continued in a quieter tone. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but according to the training I received as an Auror, after a traumatic experience, he should have a relaxing environment and a sympathetic ear."

"Under normal circumstances, you would be quite correct. Harry, however, must remain at his Aunt's house for five more weeks to recharge the blood wards on #4 Privet Drive. This is the only way to keep him and his relatives safe from Voldemort. As soon as the wards are charged for another year, I will bring him here to Headquarters, where he can be with his friends while protected by the Order here." The Headmaster spoke as if teaching, considering his plan the only possible course.

By the end of Dumbledore's pronouncement, Tonks' look of shock turned to anger, an anger that was mirrored in the faces of Remus Lupin and Molly Weasley. Molly took advantage of the pause to stand and pin Dumbledore with her infamous glare,

"Albus, what condition do you think the boy would be in after five more weeks with those people. He should be brought here or to the Burrow immediately!" Molly's voice full of disapproval, as she glared at the Headmaster, hands on her hips in full lecture stance.

Tonks cut in, "If those blood wards worked, how did he end up facing you-know-who twice in the past two years? If it's safe for him to be here half the summer, why shouldn't he stay here the whole summer?"

Albus closed his eyes and bowed his head, pinching the bridge of his nose as if to stave off a headache.

"I shall think on this. I assure you I will come to a decision by the time of the reading if Sirius' will. In the mean time, Miss Tonks, would you mind informing Harry's other guards that it is alright to speak to Harry, and to let him know that they are there?"

Tonks mien softened, "Of course, sir, I would pleased to do so. I also anxiously await another correct decision by the 30th. Good day, sir." She turned to leave, but paused.

"Oh, by the way, I left 3 umbrellas impaling Mrs. Black's portrait, whoever owns them might want to retrieve them." She then quickly left the room, followed shortly thereafter by the pop of her disapparation.

Albus then stood stiffly, "I must leave, as I have much research to do. It has been a long time since I was put in my place, and I feel it would best to depart before Minerva arrives, as it would not do for discipline among the teachers if I was thoroughly brow beaten by a colleague." With this pronouncement, the Headmaster left via floo.


	3. A New Twist on a Will

Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to Harry Potter, and precious little of this plot. This is my first attempt, and I need all the feedback I can get.

Over the rest of the week, Harry started on the long process of acceptance. Tonks and Remus guarded him at night twice more, both of whom were more than willing to help talk through his feelings, and correct misconceptions such as it being 'all his fault'. By the morning of Friday the 30th of June, he was finally starting to believe he was not solely responsible. Harry even managed a slight smile when Tonks, Remus, Mad-eye, and Bill Weasley took him to Gringotts for the reading of the will.

They flooed to the Leaky Cauldron, and walked to Gringotts, where Bill led them through a maze of corridors to a door marked 'Will and Trust department'. Upon letting the receptionist know they were here for the Black will, an obviously surprised Bill led Tonks, Harry, and Remus to the office of the Vice President in charge of Wills and Trusts, the goblin named Ragnot.

Shortly after their arrival, Draco and Narcissa Malfoy entered the office, along with a man that Harry didn't recognize. Mrs. Malfoy was careful to keep Draco as far from Harry as possible. At one minute to 10, Dumbledore entered and sat next to Harry, giving all in the room a small smile.

Ragnot cleared his throat and stood behind his desk. "Now that we are all here, I will commence with the reading." Ragnot placed a small glass ball in an indentation in his desk. The ball reminded Harry of the prophecy records kept in the Department of Mysteries. The similarities were confirmed as a ghostly white image of Sirius formed over the desk and started to speak.

"I, Sirius Orion Black, being of sound mind and body, declare this my last will and testament, canceling all previous wills, bla bla bla, so much for the boilerplate. I've apparently gone and done something incredibly heroic and, or, stupid, and wound up dead. I ask all Tonks' present, as well as Remus and Harry not to grieve. I would like to ask any Malfoy or Lestrange present to shove off. Here is the long and short of it, To Andromeda , Ted, and Nymphadora Tonks, sorry about the use of the name, I leave 1 million galleons each. To Remus Lupin, I leave 1 million galleons, under the stipulation that he spend 1000 of it on a new wardrobe. To the Weasley family, I leave 1 million galleons, for your excellent care of Harry over the years. To Albus Dumbledore, I leave continued use of your present lodgings, and 1 million galleons for operating costs.

The rest goes to Harry James Potter, save 2 knuts each for Narcissa Black Malfoy and Bellatrix Black Lestrange. If Either Narcissa or Bellatrix should at some point become single again, and can be proven to not have accepted the Dark Mark, each will be entitled to 1 million galleons and one of the many Black family estates.

That's it folks. If you don't like it, you can choke on it. I really hope Cissy and Bella can collect someday. Bye all. Live your lives well.

Immediately after the light faded, the person Harry didn't recognize stood and addressed Ragnot.

"I am protesting this will, citing the inheritance act of 1653, which clearly states that, and I quote, 'In order to protect the financial status of the pureblood families, only males related by blood, or through marriage to blood, shall be acceptable as inheritors.' Therefore making at least the last codicil concerning Mr. Potter invalid. The only person eligible, as blood related, male, and not at present incarcerated or a fugitive, would be Draco Malfoy."

Ragnot seemed to glower at the Malfoy's solicitor. "Your protest is noted Mr. Schrieber, and will be decided over the course of probate whether or not it is valid. In the mean time, I have certain private business to discuss with Mr. Potter, Mr. Lupin, Miss Tonks, and Professor Dumbledore, so if you will excuse us?" Ragnot motioned to his door, which opened, and the two Malfoys and Mr. Schrieber left in a huff.

The door closed, and Ragnot motioned to Bill, who placed silencing and imperturbable charms around the room.

"Mr. Potter, there were several parts of Mr. Black's will that are not for public consumption. First is the property mentioned in his spoken will is under the joint ownership of you and Mr. Lupin. It is under a charm to prevent location, but he has informed me you know where it is.

Second, Mr. Black was aware of the law that the Malfoy's solicitor brought up, and could find no easy way around it.

Miss Tonks, the only way for Mr. Potter to inherit without a reversal of the law by the Wizengamot, is for you to marry him, and before probate is concluded."

Harry looked at Tonks, and noticed her shell-shocked expression, whereupon he quickly looked away. Tonks closed her eyes and asked, "What happens if I don't marry him?"

Ragnot answered quietly, "Mr. Malfoy will receive the inheritance, including ownership of the property in question, which will nullify any non-detection charm now placed on it. If you were to marry Mr. Potter, you would have to wait until his 16th birthday, and then get the consent of his guardian, which is now you, Mr. Lupin"

Harry, who was happy that Sirius thought to name Professor Lupin as his guardian, was unable to articulate that feeling as he was still stunned by the day's events. Remus and Bill also seemed struck speechless. Tonks spoke again in a detached voice.

"Why are you telling this to us? Surely the Malfoys have lots of money in your bank, why let us know of a way out?"

Ragnot answered quietly once again, showing more emotion than anyone there had ever seen.

"The Malfoys are well off, but they also hate goblins, and have backed every restrictive law that the Wizengamot has passed over the last 50 years. The Potters have pushed for equality amongst the races ever since the line helped in forming the Wizengamot in the first place. The Black fortune is roughly 10 times the size of the Malfoy's, and it would be in our best interests to keep that much influence away from the Malfoys and, ultimately from Voldemort."

Albus spoke as he stood. "As much as I agree with you, Ragnot, I will attempt to convene the Wizengamot, in order to strike down the law. In the meantime, we will begin to move out of the building in question. If you have nothing else, Ragnot, we thank you for your services."

Ragnot bowed and said the pleasure was his. The stunned party returned to the lobby, where Bill had left them, and were rejoined by Moody. They passed through Diagon Alley without a hitch, and flooed back to Grimauld Place.

As soon as they arrived, Dumbledore told Moody that they needed to move headquarters in the next two months. Remus, Tonks, and Harry moved mechanically to the kitchen and collapsed into their chairs. Harry noticed Tonks was deep in thought, staring at him every so often, then at Remus, then at nothing.

After a half an hour of uncomfortable silence, Tonks stood, and announced, "I have to check in with the Ministry, let Professor Dumbledore know I'll be back after my shift." Whereupon she walked out of the kitchen and apparated with a loud crack, and was gone.

Remus looked at Harry and said, "She must be really upset, she probably has not made that much noise apparating since she learned how to. How are you, Harry, okay with me as your guardian?"

Harry managed one of his lopsided smiles, "That was the only thing about the whole reading that I am completely okay with. What would I do without a Marauder for a guardian?" Harry's face changed to one of worry, "Is Tonks okay? She seemed so detached, why didn't she just tell Ragnot it was a stupid idea, what would she want with me? If you see her before I do, could you tell her I understand that she wouldn't want to marry me. Tonks is beautiful and smart, as well as eternally cheerful and funny. She should marry someone she loves, who could give her everything she could want, not a morose teen with a lightning shaped bulls-eye on his forehead."

Remus raised an eyebrow, "Morose? Hermione has certainly had an influence on you. Is that the only reason you think the marriage shouldn't go through? No objections on your own part? You know that wizarding marriages are magical contracts, literally til death do you part?"

Harry shrugged, "I really don't think I can come up with any objections on my own part, considering I know nothing of what a normal marriage is like. I've seen the Weasleys, but seldom together. From what I've seen, they act like good friends; it's the parts that I haven't seen that probably are the difference. Having never really had a girlfriend, and a total of one disastrous kiss, I'm completely in the dark as to the specifics. Any way I look at it, it seems to me that Tonks would be getting the raw end of the deal"

Remus was more than a bit shocked at the openness Harry was showing, as well as the level of maturity.

"You look so much like James, I forget how much you act like Lily. You are truly a good man, Harry, and the woman you end up choosing will be lucky to catch you."

Professor Dumbledore entered the room and locked on to Remus, "Could I speak with you for a moment, Remus?" Both men retreated to a corner of the room to speak. Remus seemed angry, and left the corner saying, "this is not the end of this"

Mooney returned to Harry, and said in a strained voice, "Shall we go?"

Harry got up, looking twice his age, and they flooed to Arrabella Figg's. On the short walk from Wisteria Way to Privet Drive, Harry decided he would eventually like to find out the specifics of a relationship someday. With the Prophesy hanging over his head, the only way he could see to live long enough to do that, was to make sure that Voldemort was the one who dies. The task seemed impossible, but he remembered a bit of philosophy he read from a discarded Chinese food wrapper. It read 'A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.'

Upon reaching his room, he set up his books like he did while studying for his O.W.L.s, and wrote a quick note to Hermione, asking her for last years study guide. Harry was taking his first step.


	4. A Contest of Wills

Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to Harry Potter, and precious little of this plot. This is my first attempt, and I need all the feedback I can get.

Tonks arrived at Grimauld place at 11:30 that night to check in and deliver some information she acquired during her shift. Professor McGonagall was on duty until midnight, and Tonks found her in the kitchen, sipping tea, and reading various scraps of parchment, then transcribing them into a bound volume. She looked up as Tonks entered.

"Good evening, Nymphadora, would you like some tea?"

"No thanks, Professor, just checking in and dropping off some intel." Tonks said as she handed the Professor a small pack of parchment. "How has Harry been tonight?"

Professor McGonagall looked confused. "I wouldn't know, Miss Tonks, as he is now being watched by your colleague, Kingsley. I do believe it is the middle of his shift."

Tonks concerned expression shifted quickly to anger. "Where is Professor Dumbledore?" She quickly went to the fireplace and threw a handful of floo powder in, calling, 'Headmasters office, Hogwarts', and stuck her head into the green flames.

Tonks saw Dumbledore at his desk and called to him, "Professor, we need to talk, may I come through?"

"Why certainly, Nymphadora, I have been expecting you. Please come in and have a seat." The Headmaster stood and motioned with his arm. "Lemon drop?", he asked as Tonks seated herself, resorting to her metamorphmagus skills to assume a calmer countenance.

"No, thanks. What is your decision about Harry? I'd thought he'd be staying at Headquarters starting tonight." Tonks surprised herself with the even tone that she used, as she felt angrier than she could ever remember.

"As of today, I consider it only a matter of time before Headquarters is compromised. Surely you don't want to move Harry to an unsecured location?" Dumbledore answered in his most reasonable tone.

"If Grimauld Place is unsecured, why are we still there? Is the Fidelus charm still up? As far as I can determine, Headquarters will remain secure until ownership magically changes hands, and that can't happen until August 30th. Harry could still stay there for the next 2 months, and leave just in time to go back to school." Tonks countered in a nearly identical tone, measured and reasonable.

Dumbledore shifted forward, rising to the challenge. "Kreature has no master at present, and could betray the house's location, as well as knowledge of the Order. It is only reasonable to keep Harry away from him, as the Malfoys could use any information of Harry to draw him out again." He sat back, looking nearly smug about his answer.

Tonks stared at the Headmaster for a moment, and then leaned in herself. "Professor, I find it inconceivable that you can't make sure a house elf does anything you want it to. As to drawing Harry out, I believe you are behind the times, as well as not taking certain things into account. Through the pain of recent events, Harry has matured to the point where he will get more information, inform people of his intentions, and, if lacking information, secure enough firepower and means of escape to handle the situation. Additionally, with him at Headquarters, the flow of information would make it difficult to dupe him again." She leaned back, well satisfied that the debate was won.

"Very well, Miss Tonks, I will tell you the true reasons. Mind, they would be horrible for morale, and could cause panic in the Order. Kreature is truly deranged, the only way I could ensure his behavior would be to kill him. Additionally, the Fidelus charm and the wards on Grimauld place have been deteriorating since Sirius' death. I doubt we have more than a month before they fail completely. The only way to re-power the wards is with the help of the magically recognized owner. No more than 4 order members are to be at Headquarters at one time, and I am issuing emergency portkeys to everyone tomorrow." Dumbledore's twinkle was gone, and he couldn't maintain eye contact with Tonks.

Tonks was as stunned by the information as she was by the lies he tried to use to avoid the truth. "Do you think that little of us? Could it be that you're being a bit overprotective? Who else knows the state of Headquarters?"

"Alastor, Minerva, Elphias Doge, Kingsley, and, as of today, Remus and yourself. I would like you to remain quiet about this." For the first time she could remember, the Headmaster addressed her as an equal.

"Of course, Professor, however, I think you should inform the order at large at the next meeting. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised." Tonks nodded and rose. "I would like to take a short leave of absence, just until the next meeting. During this leave, I will still guard Harry during my allotted shift. I believe the next order meeting is scheduled for the 7th? I shall see you then." She acknowledged a slightly dazed nod from the Professor, and flooed back to Headquarters.

Stepping out of the fireplace, she almost tripped over Professor McGonagall, who eyed her in such a way as to remind Tonks of all the house points she lost during Transfiguration class. "Pardon me, Professor McGonagall, would you please make note I will only be checking in before and after I guard Harry until the next order meeting? Thanks." As McGonagall was writing, Tonks apperated to her flat, leaving the Transfiguration Professor sputtering.

Tonks apparated into the center of her living room, and collapsed onto the couch. She had stood up to Dumbledore, and avoided McGonagall. Two things she never thought would have happened had occurred, and both in the same day. Today she actually felt like an adult. Tracing the cause of her sudden maturity, she could only come up with one answer. It was all because of Harry. Her concern over him was the cause, and it seemed to inspire her to new heights of maturity. Should it be odd that a 15-year-old boy inspires me, even if he is The-Boy-Who-Lived? He certainly seems to inspire his fellow students, what with the D.A. and the Department of Mysteries. Maybe it's because he is so willing to help others, even at his own expense, willing to do what needs to be done, without regard for personal cost.

The way he acts toward me is more telling than he probably knows. He knows I'm a metamorphmagus, yet he has never asked for me to change. We've been alone, and in rather intimate situations, but he's never asked me to look like anyone else. The only other person who's ever done that is Remus, and I think that's because his Lycanthropy gives changing a bad connotation. If it weren't for the age difference, I'd probably have been dating him for a while by now,

My eyes glaze over, and I think about yesterday at Gringotts. Would being married to Harry be so bad? It would solve so many problems, and help the war effort immensely. No, think of Harry, he's had such a hard life, how could I lock him into a lifetime of me. The Klutz, The Goof. He's the hero of the wizarding world, and he's only had one girlfriend, who only kissed him once. I don't think I could take a wonderful possible future away from him.

Then, of course, there is still the present problem of the Dursleys. Surely the sooner he leaves that place, the better off he'll be.

I'll let him know I'm open to the prospect of getting to know each other better, and see where he takes it.

With that thought, Tonks fell into a restful sleep.


	5. Lashing Out

Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to Harry Potter, and precious little of this plot. This is my first attempt, and I need all the feedback I can get.

Harry was surprised at the amount of things he had either forgotten, or never learned. In reviewing his old school books, he realized that he never really applied himself. It must have been because the practical parts were fairly easy for him. That, as well as Ron's consistent attitude, led him to believe he was doing okay. His grades had been mostly 'averages', with a few 'exceeds expectations'. He discovered that he apparently learned backwards, watching the practical spell, and learning it, only afterwards did he put together some sort of theory, based on what he already accomplished.

He had learned the Patronus charm correctly, thanks to Professor Lupin, and was able to cast a corporeal Patronus younger than anyone had ever heard of before. There were also the many charms and jinxes he learned for the Tri-Wizard Tournament, all learned correctly due to Hermione. With only extra study time, and not throughout an entire year, he had learned enough to stand with wizards and witches 3 years older than him. Harry began to wonder how much he could learn if he treated all his classes as he treats Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

He was sure he surprised Kingsley that night when he asked for clarification on some basic Charms and Potion theory. Evidently there was a lot of information about potions that Snape never went into in class. When Kingsley explained why you were supposed to stir clockwise or anti-clockwise, and why ingredients were added in a certain order, Harry found the subject fascinating.

Near the time Harry tried to go to sleep, he told Kingsley of his aspirations to become an Auror, and asked what kind of physical training it required. The Auror was more than happy to outline the physical requirements of the job, and would go running with him to help increase his stamina. He also told Harry that he would have to eat right, and would see if some food could be sent over from Headquarters.

Harry's dreams started off much better than usual that night. He dreamt of Tonks waking him from a nightmare, but after holding him for a while, she started kissing him. Kissing first his eyes, then cheeks, then fully on the mouth. This began an all out snogging session. After an indeterminate amount of time, the dream turned for the worse. Suddenly Harry and Tonks were surrounded by the Death Eaters from the Department of Mysteries.

Lucius Malfoy cackled, "Practicing with the wrong wand, Potter? Tell me the prophecy and I'll spare her life."

Bellatrix Lestrange added, "Does ickle baby Potter wub my niece?" She pointed her wand at Tonks, and started to say 'Crucio", when Harry cut her off with a 'Reducto'.

The dream was instantly gone, and Harry woke up coughing. He reached for his glasses, and his hand was caught by Kingsley.

"Are you awake, Potter?" Kingsley asked, sounding angry.

"Yes, I was just reaching for my glasses." Harry noticed an inordinate amount of dust in the air. "Where did all this dust come from?"

Kingsley handed Harry his glasses, and asked in an incredulous tone, "You mean you don't know?"

Harry shrugged, and started to feel pain in his right arm. A feeling of liquid fire running down the inside of his arm, from shoulder to wrist, resting in the base of his right palm. Through watering eyes, Harry saw the glow coming from his right arm, and a bright aura around his right hand. He looked up at Kingsley and managed to quietly say, "Hurts."

Kingsley pulled out a mirror, and stated 'Minerva McGonagall'. Professor McGonagall answered quickly, and Kingsley told her to get Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey to #4 Privet Drive now.

With a burst of flame, Fawkes appeared with Professor Dumbledore. Fawkes immediately began to sing, and, after a few minutes of the soothing song, the glow flickered out, and Harry slipped into unconsciousness.

Albus Dumbledore was awakened by a violent shaking and heating of a special pocket watch he owned. The wards on #4 Privet Drive had been attacked. He quickly got out of bed and transfigured his nightclothes into one of his normal robes. His mirror then flashed, and he heard Minerva McGonagall call his name. Albus picked up the mirror, and spoke clearly, "Minerva McGonagall."

"Albus, Kingsley says he needs you and Poppy at Harry's as soon as possible." Her stern demeanor cracked into that of worry. "He looked especially upset."

"Very well, Minerva, I shall take Fawkes. I will have the elves inform Poppy." He then put the mirror in one of his pockets, and called Dobby. The oddly dressed elf appeared with a crack.

"Good morning, Professor Dumbledore, sir. What is yous wanting of Dobby?"

The elf seemed to vibrate in anticipation.

"Would you please wake Madam Pomfrey, and apperate with her and a full medical kit to Harry Potter?" Albus smiled at the elf, as his expression changed to worry.

"Yes sir, Dobby will go now." The elf left without the usual honorifics.

"Well Fawkes, shall we go?" The Headmaster asked as he grabbed on to a tail feather.

Fawkes responded with a trill, and, in a flash of fire, they were gone.

When Fawkes arrived at Harry's bedroom, Albus was momentarily shocked at what he saw. There was a meter diameter hole in the ceiling above Harry's bed, which apparently also went through the roof, as Harry was bathed in moonlight. The room was filled with dust, apparently the remains of the ceiling area that was blasted. Kingsley stood near the headboard of Harry's bed, holding a shield charm up between him and Harry. Harry sat up on his bed, his eyes were watering, his face held rigid in pain. His right arm was surrounded by a pale white aura, while the right hand glowed like a Lumos Maximus spell. The raw magic, barely held in check, left the usually unflappable Headmaster speechless.

Fawkes started to sing. It clearly felt like a song meant to calm and comfort. After nearly 5 minutes, the aura and glow finally winked out, and Harry collapsed onto the bed.

Before Albus could investigate, Poppy and a pleading house elf arrived.

"Please, mistress, yous must hurry, yous must help Harry Potter!" Dobby was repeating over and over.

Poppy Pomfrey silenced the elf with a "Shhhh." She proceeded to run several diagnostic spells, muttering and harrumphing. After 10 minutes, she turned an angry eye to Professor Dumbledore.

"Albus, this boy's magic is fighting itself. I notice the remnants of some sort of blocking charm on his magic, the same sort used on powerful children before they attend school. Why the charm remains after five years of school is a mystery to me, but for the life of me, I can't see how to remove it. Perhaps you should get Filius to take a look at him. I must tell you, you must do this soon, the charm is only partially undone, and is somehow using the boy's own strength to shield his own magical core." Poppy looked at Albus accusingly. "You knew the boy as an infant, and knew his parents weren't there to remove and shielding when he went off to school. Didn't you know he was shielded?"

Albus shook his head, "Poppy, you are most correct, I knew he had been shielded as an infant. However, when he arrived at Hogwarts. His power levels were higher than most students, even those years older than him. I had assumed the shielding wore off, as it does with so many magical children. His mother was extremely gifted in charms, and apparently used a method of shielding I am unfamiliar with. I shall, of course, call on Filius as soon as practicable." Albus thought for a moment, "I shall also contact Remus Lupin. He was a frequent guest at the Potters when Harry was an infant, and might have some insights as to what kind of charm was used."

"Kingsley, can you tell me what happened?" Albus turned to the still warded Auror.

"Well, Professor, Harry was sleeping, and seemed to be having a pleasant dream. Abruptly, his mood shifted, and he raised his hand and shouted a reductor curse, hence the hole in the ceiling and the roof. Mind you, this was without a wand. As he spoke the curse, his head glowed briefly, and then he woke up, choking on dust. His right hand went toward me, and I caught it, and asked if he was awake. He answered he was, and could I hand him his glasses. After he put his glasses on, he asked me where all the dust came from. I could tell from his voice he was confused, and asked him if he really didn't know. He shrugged, and suddenly started to sweat, and his eyes began to water. A light sprung up around his arm, lighting slowly, starting at the shoulder, moving down to the wrist, then it looked like his hand flared. He managed to gasp out that it hurt before I called Minerva to get you two." As Kingsley explained, he backed away from Harry, and let down his shield charm.

"Poppy, will he be alright for the next few hours?" Albus asked the medi-witch, hoping for a positive response.

Madam Pomfrey pointed at the hole in the ceiling. "If he did this while dreaming, I will have to give him a dreamless sleep potion. Other than that, all I have to do is think of a way to heal internal spell burns, and he should be just fine." Her tone suggested that she felt Harry was far from fine.

"Good." Albus stated, feeling Madam Pomfrey much more capable than she gave herself credit for. "Kingsley, could you return to Headquarters, inform Minerva as to what has happened, and have her inform Filius and Remus at 8:00 this morning. While you are there, try to get some sleep."

Kingsley nodded and disapparated.


	6. A Startling Proposal

Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to Harry Potter, and precious little of this plot. This is my first attempt, and I need all the feedback I can get.

Remus awoke around 7:00, went through his morning ablutions, and entered the kitchen at 12 Grimauld Place at 7:30, only to find a nervous Professor McGonagall.

"Remus, you're awake. As soon as you've had breakfast, Albus would like you to go to Privet Drive. He would like to discuss some facets of Harry's infancy with you." She was clearly distressed, as she was shredding her napkin.

Remus quickly ate two pieces of toast, an egg, and some bacon, then flooed to Mrs. Figg's house. He left Arrabella's home without waking her, and quickly traveled to #4, and apperated into the bedroom.

Upon his arrival, he saw Harry, sleeping peacefully, with a bandage on his right hand. Albus sat on Harry's right, near the headboard, in his ubiquitous fluffy chintz chair. Much to his chagrin, Madam Pomfrey sat at the footboard in a high-backed wooden chair. She had a visual spell activated, one that showed Harry's vital statistics.

"Professor, what happened? Will Harry be okay?" Remus asked as he rushed to Harry's side. Before he could reach Harry, however, the Headmaster stopped him.

"That wouldn't be wise, Remus. Please take a seat, and I will explain what happened, after which, there may be a few questions you could answer." He motioned with an arm toward another chintz chair, sitting by the window.

Remus sat, wondering what Dumbledore would say, including why Harry's room was obviously enlarged.

Albus cleared his throat, and started his explanation as if it were the 'Start of School Speech'. He told of the events of the night, and the conclusions to which they came. Lupin was stunned by the power that the events indicated. He had also thought the shielding was gone, considering the massive Patronus he cast two years ago.

"Headmaster, all I know of the shielding done to Harry, is it was done by Lily, and cued to be deactivated by her, James, or Sirius. Barring that, it will hold until he reaches his magical majority. Excluding marriage, his 17th birthday is still a little more than a year away." Remus looked at Dumbledore, "Why has it partially failed?"

"I have an idea, now that I know the charm was at least partially cast by Sirius, his death has caused a deterioration in the charm for the part he did. I do not know exactly why all the permanent spells he cast are coming undone; perhaps it has something to do with the veil. In any case, we shall endeavor to remove the charm, with the assistance of Filius." Professor Dumbledore smiled warmly, as if the matter was easily solved, and it was just a matter of time until Harry was set to rights.

Remus was not as sure as the Headmaster, and waited impatiently for Professor Flitwik, who arrived within the hour. He was briefed on the situation, and asked to examine the charm. He conjured a stepstool, and climbed up to assess the charm.

"Yes, I see. The breach was in the right arm. This is amazing work, seamless, except for one part of the three. Odd, the third part seems to be uncasting itself, including the overall control glyph. I cant just banish or finite this, it has built in defenses, all automatic, powered directly from the boys magical core. I need Vector and Glyph in here, or give them a copy of the runes I see. Lily Potter could have had my job, as this is beyond me. Sorry Albus." The little professor looked truly dejected. "Will he be okay, Madam Pomfrey?"

The stern medi-witch's face was trying to keep composure, "I would suggest you contact Professors Vector and Glyph. Contact anyone you need to, but this charm must be removed, or I don't think he will survive to see next school year."

Dumbledore stood, "Very well, Filius, please write down what you need, and return to Hogwarts. I shall summon Professors Vector and Glyph. Remus, remain here, and when Harry awakes, start teaching him your meditation techniques. I will send someone to relieve you at 2pm."

After a flurry of activity, Remus settled in for the long haul, reviewing his teaching methods.

Tonks awoke near 10:00 am, after a night of fitful sleep. She had awakened at 4:30, getting a brief vision of her Auntie Bella preparing to throw the Cruciatus curse at her, and Harry stopping her with a Reductor. Thereafter, she was constantly dreaming of Harry. Some were dreams where they were fighting Death Eaters or Voldemort; others started at sensual, and went to pornographic. Upon awaking, she didn't know which she considered more disturbing, although she was starting to warm up to the latter. She showered, ate a small breakfast, and went to report to the Order, although she was officially off.

She activated her mirror, naming Hestia Jones. The young witch answered with a grave look on her face.

"What's wrong, Hestia? Has there been an attack?" Tonks mind started to fill with possible scenarios, each worse than the last.

"No, no attacks Tonks, its Harry." Hestia had a hard time looking straight at the mirror.

"Hold that thought, I'm on my way there." Tonks said as she put her mirror away, checked to make sure she had everything she needed, and apperated into the front hallway of Grimauld Place.

Before Hestia knew what was happening, Tonks was striding into the room, determination fairly oozing from her.

"What's happened to Harry? Who's helping him? Where is he now?" Tonks rattled out these questions, and Hestia almost felt sorry for any criminal Tonks interrogated.

"Easy, Tonks, he is at #4 Privet Drive, with Madam Pomfrey, and Remus. Professor Flitwik was there, as well as Professor Dumbledore, but since both have returned to Hogwarts. As to what happened, I only know that Kingsley placed an urgent call to Professor McGonagall at 4:30 this morning, asking for Dumbledore and Pomfrey. Kingsley was relieved by 5:00, and he was told to get Remus and Flitwik there by 8:00. Remus got there early, shortly before my shift started. I don't know when Flitwik arrived, but Dumbledore came through here around 9:30, telling me that Flitwik had returned to the school, and that he would be going there as well. I am supposed to relieve Remus at 2:00pm, and arrange for Mundungus to relieve me here at that time. I'm to stay at Privet Drive until 8:00 pm, When Remus is supposed to take his normal shift.

As to what happened, Dumbledore would only say that Harry was very ill, and that Poppy would be staying with him until further notice."

Tonks was both pleased and annoyed at the accurate, yet uninformative nature of the logs the Order kept.

"Well, Hestia, add my name to the list of people at Privet Drive. I'll call you by 2:00 pm, I might be able to convince you to let me take your shift at Harry's house."

And, with that said, Tonks whisked out of the room, a woman on a mission.

Tonks apperated into Harry's bedroom, and quickly found herself suspended in mid air, unable to move. Looking around, she noticed Harry glowing, and a brief flare of light from his left hand. He winced for a second, and then seemed to realize who she was. He opened his arms, and she flew through the air toward him, directly into his embrace. He held her close, sobbing softly on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Tonks. I can't control my magic too well right now. Are you okay?" Harry sounded terribly distraught.

Tonks felt an incredible amount of magic coursing through and around him. The feeling was unbelievable, as all his energy was focused on making sure she was okay. As a result she felt the best she had ever felt, and noticed a few minor wounds and old scars heal completely. She felt the pleasant glow that usually accompanied sex or drunkenness, without any loss of clarity of mind.

She murmured into his ear, "If you don't tone it down, and soon, I don't think I'll be able to control myself, and I'll do you right here."

Harry's sobbing stopped with a slight chuckle, as he whispered back, "Can't have that happening, there are too many witnesses." The feeling of magic throttled down, but did not go away completely. Then Harry jerked and let go of her, "Sorry, Dumbledore said I shouldn't touch anyone."

"Well, she seems to have survived, Harry, and bettered by the experience, by the look of it." Tonks noticed Remus sitting by the headboard, his expression warring between concern and amusement.

"Miss Tonks!" Tonks now looked behind her at an annoyed Madam Pomfrey. "Would you please stop accosting my patient, now I must bandage his left hand. Would you please inform the Order that no one should apparate into this room until further notice? He may have healed you, but he has now matching burns on both arms and hands."

Tonks jumped up, and watched Madam Pomfrey fan her wand along Harry's left arm several times, and conjured bandages for the small round burn on his hand. Tonks looked on in shock.

"Did I cause that? Oh Harry, I'm so sorry! What did I do?" Tonks nearly had tears in her eyes.

Harry answered, "You surprised me, and that's all it took. Don't worry about it, it's not your fault, as I doubt anyone told you what's wrong."

Tonks nodded, "That's why I'm here. Hestia didn't know, so I decided to find out for myself, as Albus seems determined to give rational explanations rather than the truth."

"At least you rate explanations, Tonks. He just refuses to answer some of my questions." Harry closed his eyes, and seemed to concentrate. A wave of magic erupted from him, then receded. "There I go again. Remus, do you think you could fill her in on my condition? I have a hard time controlling myself when I talk about it. See you in a while, Tonks" Harry closed his eyes, and seemed to drift off to sleep.

"He's not asleep." Remus stated as if he knew what he was thinking. "I've never seen anyone master meditation so quickly. Of course, necessity is a great motivator." Remus proceeded to tell her of all their conclusions and suppositions. Madam Pomfrey left them alone in their discussions, as part of Harry's room had been expanded to hold a duplicate of her office at Hogwarts.

At that moment, Tonks' will solidified on one goal, she would do it; everything seemed to hinge on it.

"Remus, I think there is a solution to all the problems that have come up in the past week. It seems almost destined that these events could all be fixed by one action. If he'll have me, I'll marry Harry." Tonks stared at Remus with a determined glare. "I know it's not really fair to Harry, but there have been marriages with far less foundation that have prospered. I would do everything in my power to make him happy, and anything I could to protect him. Ever since the reading of the will, I've thought about it. If I were more selfish, I would have asked him about it already, as I'd be getting the better half of the deal."

Remus couldn't hide his shock, or his smile. "Oddly enough, Harry and I spoke of this after you left Grimauld Place after the reading. His thoughts were exactly the opposite of yours. He said you were beautiful, intelligent, cheerful, and funny. He told me to let you know it was okay that you didn't want to marry him, something along the lines of you deserving better than 'a morose teen with a lightning bolt shaped bulls-eye on his forehead'. I think the only thing that would stop him from saying yes would be that it wasn't fair to you."

Tonks hand flew to her mouth, and she came close to tears. She then looked at Remus, with surprise in her eyes. "You would be okay with this? You would sign off on it?" Tonks voice quavered.

"Yes Tonks, what kind of a guardian would I be if I didn't want to see him happy, as well as seeing him survive." Remus paused in thought. "With the way things were going this summer, the only difference may be one of timing. You both obviously care for each other a great deal. In a marriage of necessity, it is about the best you could hope for.

They both sat, immersed in thought for a while, until Madam Pomfrey returned, at which point, Harry came out of his trance.

"Talking about me? I can feel my ears burning." Harry quipped, then turned slightly more serious. "Of course, my entire body is burning. Aside from that, you both look anxious. How has the world become more complicated in the past half hour?"

"Madam Pomfrey, do you report everything you hear back to Professor Dumbledore?" Tonks asked, and watched Madam Pomfrey huff.

"Miss Tonks, I relate to Albus what he must know in order to best serve my patients and their well being. Everything else is protected information under the Healers Code."

"Good." She then turned to Harry. "Harry, I have come up with a solution to all the problems that have cropped up this week, as well as the problem of you living here." Harry looked hopeful, Madam Pomfrey looked doubtful. "Harry, everything would turn out okay if we got married."

There, she'd said it. Harry stared at her, open-mouthed. Madam Pomfrey looked like a fish, opening and closing her mouth, no sound coming out. Harry recovered first.

"Thanks for saying that, Tonks, but it wouldn't be fair to you, especially since I'll probably be dead in about 2 months, isn't that right Madam Pomfrey?"

Madam Pomfrey now gaped at Harry. How did he know her diagnosis? The implications of Tonks' statement hit her, and she shook her head at Harry.

"Well, if you weren't marry Miss Tonks, and your professors were unable to remove your shielding charm, you would, unfortunately, be correct. However, marriage in the magical world would automatically remove the charm, and you would be out of danger." Madam Pomfrey seemed to accept this as a possible cure.

"Don't go doing this just to save me, I couldn't live with myself if you sacrificed your future for that." Harry was barely holding his magic in check.

"Harry, I wouldn't be doing this if I had any reservations. You may be scared to do this, but I'm not. I think our feelings for each other could grow into love, and I am willing to give it a shot, provided you feel the same way." Tonks waited tensely, and then was overwhelmed by the flare of warmth and love impacted on her.

"Of course I feel that way, I'm just stunned that you do as well. We will need to spend as much of the next three weeks together as possible. But, before you make your final decision, I must speak with you alone, there is something you need to know." Harry looked pleadingly at Remus and Madam Pomfrey.

"Come, Mr. Lupin, I need to get my potion stores in order." Madam Pomfrey huffed, but couldn't hide a small smile. She and Remus retreated to her office.

Harry proceeded to fill Tonks in on the Prophecy. "So that's it Tonks, I have to be victim or murderer. Could you still marry me?"

Tonks ignored any precautions and embraced Harry tightly. "You wouldn't be a murderer, at worst an executioner. You can remove him from the wizarding world's misery. He should have died after your first encounter; you are merely righting a 15-year-old wrong. I'll be with you, all the way. I would have been anyway, but now I'll be there as your wife. Don't think for a minute that that prophecy changes anything."

Another flare of love shot through her, and Harry whispered in her ear, "You have no idea how much that means to me. Come to think of it, I always did prefer older women"

Tonks laughed and held him tighter. "You'd better, because you are not getting rid of me that easy." Tonks then looked him in the eye, and kissed him, full on the lips. After a moment of surprise, Harry returned the kiss, and a burst of both love and lust impacted on her, and she felt herself orgasm. Tonks collapsed onto Harry's chest.

Worried, Harry asked, "Are you okay, should I call Madam Pomfrey?"

Tonks laughed a satiated laugh, "No worries, Harry, I'm better than okay, I'm bloody fantastic. You, my fiancé are dangerous. Don't be kissing anyone else until your power problem is under control, and then only with permission." Suddenly embarrassed by her present state of hygiene, Tonks excused herself.

Harry was musing why Tonks left so suddenly when Remus poked his head out from to office replica.

"Is it safe to come out? Everyone still dressed?" Remus smiled and walked over to Harry, where he paused and sniffed, and looked at Harry oddly, almost as if in awe.

"Sorry Remus, I just had to tell her about what you were guarding at the Ministry. It didn't dissuade her at all." He smiled up at Remus.

"Where'd she go, cub?" Remus seemed lost in thought.

"She said she had to freshen up, right after she kissed me" Harry was smiling, and Remus' eyes goggled a little.

"Just kissing, Harry?" Remus seemed skeptical.

"Just one kiss, Mooney. Why? Is that so hard to believe?" Harry was getting a little defensive.

"No, nothing of the sort, Harry. I thought you might have done much more. I was only half joking when I asked if you were still dressed." Remus re-assured the young man.

"Well, I think the kiss was okay, and she nearly fainted after it. She scared me a bit, and I asked if I should call Madam Pomfrey. She said she was fine, but then said she had to go 'freshen up'." By the end of this statement, the werewolf was having difficulty not laughing. Harry noticed him hiding his laughter, and asked, "What?"

At that moment, Tonks returned, and answered before Remus could. "What indeed. Remus, I need to speak with you." She motioned the werewolf off to the side of the room. "I'll be right back Harry." She then turned to the grinning Werewolf and spoke

"You will not tell him what he just did, it would only embarrass him. Now would you please keep your werewolf senses to yourself?" Tonks glared at him

Remus' eyes glinted mischievously, and he answered, "Sure, but only if you tell me how he did it. After all, the boy would become legendary overnight."

"You've felt his bursts of magic, and how they are associated with a feeling?" Remus nodded. "Well, as I was kissing him, he let out a burst of love and lust. I've never felt anything like it, as if every part of my body was brought to its most exited state at the same time. It was very special, and I won't have you teasing him about it, is that clear?"

Remus relented, "Okay, your secret is safe with me, although I think you should tell him eventually."

Tonks nodded, "I will, and thanks."

Both returned to Harry's bedside. He looked at them for an explanation, and then upon receiving none, moved on to other topics.

"Now that we are all agreed, how and when do we tell the Order? You know there be objections, most especially from Mrs. Weasley." Harry looked at the other two for ideas, and then shook his head. "After the Order, we will have to figure out what to do when the marriage is made public. Certainly Narcissa will tell the world no later than the last day of August. I hope you're ready for hate mail, as well as being number one on Voldemort's hit list. Are you sure you're okay with this, I don't want you hurt, Tonks, I don't think I could handle it if something happened to you."

"It's okay, Harry. Remember, I'm an Auror. We might even be able to use this to our advantage. Sucker a few unsuspecting Death Eaters into a trap. I know how to stay safe, they'll never see the same person twice." She smiled and changed her face into Hestia Jones' and back.

Remus spoke up. "Brilliant, but how are we going to tell the Order. Albus is certain the blood protections on this house will fail after Harry reaches his majority. Molly will, no doubt, attack your character, Tonks. Accuse you of corrupting him or gold digging. Diggle, and Doge will object on moral grounds. Snape will just use it as an excuse to insult both of you."

Harry sighed, "Making sure I can control myself now, are we Remus? How can blood protect me here if Voldemort used some of my blood in his resurrection ritual? I think the other wards protect me more than the blood one any more. As to Mrs. Weasley, although I love her like a mother, she is not my mother. She still thinks I can spend some time in childhood, but circumstances won't allow me to. If I can't make her understand, I'll just have to deal with it, as I have to deal with everything else."

Tonks sat down to hug Harry, then said, "I think I need to get my hands on a Pensieve, there is too much about your past that I should know, and the same goes for you. We'll go through those memories this week, and tell the Order at their next meeting, which is this Friday. In the mean time, I'll call Hestia, and tell I'll cover for her this afternoon. Then Remy here will be back on the mid shift with you. I'll get a Pensieve from work tomorrow, and get here a little early for my shift."

Harry smiled gratefully, and Tonks put their plans in motion. Little did they know how far reaching the effects of the past 24 hours would be.


	7. Gathering Info and Writing Friends

Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to Harry Potter, and precious little of this plot. This is my first attempt, and I need all the feedback I can get.

Just as Remus was leaving Privet Drive that Saturday afternoon, Professor Dumbledore was returning to Hogwarts with Professor Vector, and guiding her to the staff lounge, where professor Flitwik had set up the parchments he transcribed from Harry. As Dumbledore was leaving, Hagrid entered through the Great Hall doors, carrying an unconscious Professor Snape.

Dumbledore immediately called Madam Pomfrey, and asked if Harry was stable enough for her to return to Hogwarts for a time. She replied that Miss Tonks had the situation well in hand, and she would not have to check up on Harry until tonight around 10:00 pm. Dumbledore then asked her to return to Hogwarts as soon as possible.

Half an hour later, a disgruntled Madam Pomfrey entered her infirmary, looking for the reason for her abrupt summons. She spotted Snape lying on a bed, limp as a rag doll. Albus stood next to the bed, wringing his hands.

"Well, lets see what the problem is." Madam Pomfrey pulled out her wand and scanned the patient, noting soft tissue and nerve damage. Clucking her disapproval, she retrieved an ample supply of post-Cruciatus potion. "You will have to wait until I administer an hydrating potion, and an anti-nausea potion before you can interrogate him, Albus." The Headmaster nodded, looking suitably chastened.

Fifteen minutes later, Snape was awake, and able to talk.

"Headmaster, did you teach Potter an alternate form of occulmency? The Dark Lord was inserting himself into another dream, when he was thrown off his throne, and into a wall. He was struck, in the dream, by a reductor curse. This somehow broke his link, and somehow impacted him as if it were a reductor curse. After he regained his senses, he accused me of teaching the boy a new form of occulmency, and hit me repeatedly with the Cruciatus curse for my failure to keep his mind accessible." Snape glared as best he could in his present condition.

"I assure you, Severus, I did not have the chance to teach him occulmency, much less any different form than that which I taught you. Did you expect this to happen had you been able to teach Harry?" Professor Dumbledore quirked an eyebrow at the professor, truly wondering what kind of treatment he expected.

"If he had learned properly, he would be able to show the Dark Lord what he wanted him to see, not knowing that he'd been detected. He would have thought Potter's mind still accessible." Snape paused to catch his breath. "He also asked me to get him information on Nymphadora Tonks. She was in his dream when the Dark Lord entered."

Dumbledore nodded, apparently believing Snape's reasoning. "You may tell him all about Miss Tonks, except about her metamorphmagus abilities. We could use this to our advantage." He peered over his glasses at the man. "Very well, Severus, rest for now, we will talk more in depth later."

Near 6:00 pm, Dumbledore returned to the staff lounge, attempting to assess their progress.

Professor Vector answered. "The glyphs Filius copied seem incompatible as one charm, however, actually seem as two overlaid charms. We are now in the process of trying to determine how to separate them. On another note, I've done some calculations on some of the protective clauses, and found them revolutionary. They passively tap into the core of the boy, and are capable of routing tremendous energy from impacting, redirecting it toward whence it came. Oddly enough, it seems that a powerful spell is necessary to trigger this re-routing." She then sobered, and added, "We will, of course, first attempt to resolve the charms into their respective formulae, then find a way to remove the shielding charm. Mr. Potter's well being is of the utmost importance."

"Thanks to you both, I have been informed that Professor Glyph will be arriving sometime on Monday. Until then, I bid you good day and good luck." Dumbledore smiled and strode out of the room.

The rest of the day at Privet Drive, Tonks and Harry talked, sharing their views on everything from the Minister of Magic, to the chances of the Chudley Cannons making it to the play-offs. The longer they spent together, the more relaxed Harry became. Soon the meditation techniques for calming seemed second nature. Both knew that this wouldn't last, and Tonks helped Harry with some occulmency techniques, which helped to control emotions. The only uncontrolled burst of magic occurred as Tonks was leaving, and decided to kiss him good night. Remus was her relief, and he had trouble not laughing, as Tonks collapsed at Harry's kiss, and then beat a hasty retreat.

All through the night, Harry studied, and asked Remus to get him some books on Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. Tonight, Harry was revising his third year. Provided he stayed conscious, he should be fully revised up to fifth year by the end of the week. Then he would be able to study all the extra defense books he'd received as gifts, as well as learn something of Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, both of which he now felt he should have been taking. Remus proved invaluable to his studies; helping with any concepts he had problems with.

Before he went to sleep that night, Harry meditated, and tried the occulmency techniques Tonks taught him. He slept for nearly 5 hours before the dream hit, obviously induced by Voldemort. Harry was strapped in place with his head was immobilized. Tonks was strapped to a tilted table facing him, Bellatrix stood next to her cackling.

"Where to start? Where should I make the first cut?" She made a slashing motion with her wand, and a cut appeared in Tonks' face.

Harry felt his emotions build, but channeled them with the occulmency he learned. The wave of power became a directed probe, first healing Tonks, and then gutting Bellatrix. Instantly the dream ended, and Harry awoke, his scar throbbing. Looking up, Harry now noticed a scorch mark next to the recently repaired hole in the ceiling.

Remus was looking at Harry, mouth agape. "Harry, that was truly scary. Now I know why Kingsley was spooked. What kind of a spell shoots from your head?" Remus was obviously shaken.

"There was no spell, I just concentrated on helping Tonks, and getting Bellatrix." Harry said, trying to calm the werewolf.

"So, it was another dream. A tendril of power shot forth from your forehead, to where you see the burn marks on the ceiling. I've never felt so much power." Remus still looked slightly skittish.

"Please, Remus, it is still me, still just Harry. I couldn't handle it if you were afraid of me." Harry pleaded with his guardian.

Remus shook his head in remonstrance. "Of course, cub, you are right. You just caught me a little off guard there, and I'm sorry I over-reacted. Are you alright? Do you need any of these potions?" He then smiled, "Maybe a shot of Firewhiskey?"

Harry smiled back, "No, but thanks for the offer. I just might take you up on it sometime." His smile turned rueful, "Probably next Friday, after banging heads with the Order."

"I'll have some ready for all of us that night. On a different note, how long has Tonks been in your dreams? What kind of dreams are they? Are they girlfriend type dreams, or do they go further?" Remus was really grinning now.

Harry, on the other hand, acquired a blush that the Weasleys would be proud of. "Well, I had dreams of Tonks on and off ever since we met last summer. She kind of leaves an impression, you know. The dreams only started to get really involved over the past week, after she was the first to speak to me, and let me cry on her shoulder. Unfortunately, Voldemort entered one of those dreams last night. I was defending her in the dream when I cast the reductor at the ceiling. That somehow broke the connection. Tonight, I wasn't dreaming as all, and I think Voldemort induced a dream, where Bellatrix was going to torture Tonks while forcing me to watch. Using some of the occulmency she taught me, I was able to extrude a magical tendril to heal Tonks, then sent it to Bellatrix, where it cut her up the middle, from legs to neck. This, once again broke the connection, but tonight I still have an awful throbbing in my scar."

"Well, Harry, it seems you are on your way to keeping that monster out of your head. It would probably be best if you tried to go back to sleep, you've only had 5 hours." The werewolf smiled at Harry.

"Tonight is probably the longest I've slept without a potion all summer. But I'll give it a try Moony, if you really want me to."

Harry then lay down, and managed 4 more hours of sleep.

As soon as Harry awoke on Sunday morning, he set out to write to everyone who had gone with him to the Department of Mysteries. He chose to start with the toughest, Hermione.

Dear Hermione,

I'm sorry it took me so long to write to you. I've read your letters, and I thank you for the sentiments. I was in a sorry state, until I got to talk with Tonks and Remus. They have helped me a lot, your suggestions were right, as usual.

I'm so sorry for the entire fiasco at the Ministry, and everything that led up to it. I should have listened to you, or at least found a way of preventing you guys from coming with me. That said, I do appreciate what you did for me, I'm sorry you got so badly injured as a result.

How are you now? I hope you are fully healed, as I couldn't live with myself if you were permanently hurt.

Don't worry about your O.W.L.s, I'm sure you got all O's.

I've got a lot of important things to tell you, but a letter is not the way to do it. Here's hoping I'll see you soon.

Sincerely

Harry

There, now on to the easier ones.

Dear Ron,

Hey, mate, sorry about not writing, but you know how it gets. I was really down, and a lot of things were happening. Now, it's mostly sorted out, so I hope to stay in touch much better.

I'm sorry for the whole Ministry thing, especially everyone getting hurt. Are you really okay, those welts looked bad.

I hope I'll get out of here soon. It would be great to go to the Burrow, but I don't know if that will be possible,

Are you getting in any Quiddich practice? It would be great to get back out on the pitch.

What is this about Ginny working for the twins this summer? I hope they didn't trick her into being a tester. Of course, she seems to be able to take care of herself.

Well, hope to see you guys soon, and I promise to write more often.

HP

Okay, now on to the rest. Lets see, who first. Since I'm writing Weasleys, lets try Ginny.

Dear Ginny,

I was surprised and pleased by your letters, even though it took me so long to reply. You, like Hermione, were right. I've spoken with Tonks and Professor Lupin about everything, and I'm starting to place it in perspective. It still hurts, and I know it will for some time, maybe always. But I can't let my mistakes prevent me from continuing to try to do what's right.

I can't tell you how sorry I am that you got mixed up in the whole Ministry thing. I should have tried harder to keep you from going, or never gone myself. I know your ankle is healed, but how are you? Being personally menaced by Bellatrix is bad.

Something happened to me at the ministry that I know you lived through your first year. How did you stand it? It hurt worse than the Cruciatus.

I have loads to tell you guys that I can't put in a letter.

Hope to see you soon,

HP

Wow, that turned out longer than I expected. Well let's try Neville.

Dear Neville

How have you been? I am mostly writing to apologize for dragging you to the Ministry. I know you insisted in coming. Maybe, if I didn't want you there, I shouldn't have gone either.

I hope your Gran was not too angry about your wand. If you want me to, I'll pay for a new one.

I've had a really eventful summer, but it's nothing I can tell you in a letter.

Have a nice summer,

HP

Great, only one more letter to go, I hope I can write a letter Luna understands.

Dear Luna,

I would like to thank you for the talk we had during last years leaving feast, it really helped. Did you get all your stuff back?

I'm sorry I dragged you to the Ministry, and I hope you can forgive me.

You shouldn't let people push you around so much, and I know you know they do. If you need help, please don't hesitate to ask me, and I am pretty sure any of the Ministry group would help too.

I hope you have a nice summer.

HP

There, all done, now off to breakfast.

Tonks awoke at 9:00 am, earlier than she would have normally, considering she was working the midnight shift. It was easier to explain the need to get a Pensieve for statements in the morning than at night. Even though she was technically still on leave, no one would question her request for a Pensieve.

As she was getting ready to go to the Ministry, she was thinking of how she would tell her parents about Harry. Mom broke the family rules, and was disowned until Sirius changed that. She hoped her mother would understand, and could convince her dad. Ted Tonks was an easy-going man, but was very protective of her. He hadn't spoken to for a month after she became an Auror since he was so worried.

Now she had to explain that she was going to marry a 15-year-old, and make herself the number one target for Voldemort. Upon further thought, Tonks thought it best to wait to tell her parents until she and Harry had gone over each other's memories, and he could accompany her.

She went into the Ministry, and retrieved a Pensieve. As she was about to leave, she was stopped by Mafalda Hopkirk, Head of the Improper of Magic Department.

"Miss Tonks, I was told you were in the vicinity of Surrey over Friday and Saturday nights. Did you use any magic there? The power levels recorded were on par with some major Auror operations." Miss Hopkirk looked at her as if expecting her to deny it.

"Yes, I have been spending quite a lot of time in Surrey this summer, staying with a sick friend. I haven't cast any powerful spells, mostly silencio and cleaning charms. Why do you ask?" Tonks kept her voice cheerful.

"Never mind, that seems to answer my question. Thank you for your help" Hopkirk smiled briefly and walked away.

Tonks quickly left the building, hoping to avoid any more questions.

Snape had left Hogwarts at 8:00 am on Sunday, in response to his Dark Mark. He returned only slightly less Cruciated than before. He was able to walk to the infirmary, but quickly collapsed into a bed.

Dumbledore came to check on him around noon. "What caused this latest fit of pique, Severus? I've never seen him use you this way. Maybe your position has become untenable? Perhaps you shouldn't continue in your present capacity."

"No, sir, that won't be necessary. His anger today is uncontrollable and indiscriminate. Last night, he attempted to enter Potter's dreams, but the boy apparently wasn't dreaming. So he decided to insert a dream into Potter's mind, using Bellatrix as a conduit. Shortly after he established contact, the link was broken, and Bella was gutted like a fish. She was dead within moments. He has now given me the mission of finding out how the boy has done it, and ways to stop it." Snape managed a slight smirk. "Your golden boy seems to have acquired a violent streak. What will his fans say?"

"Come, Severus, how many people would be dead if your dreams were made real? I doubt Harry has the slightest idea that he's killed anyone, much less avenged his Godfathers murder." Dumbledore admonished, yet with a troubled countenance.

"Regardless, Headmaster, this new ability does not seem to be a fluke, and should be investigated. I suppose he is still being watched by the Order?" Snape asked, unabashed.

"Closer than ever, I assure you. I do not think it would be good for you to question Mr. Potter at this time. I will attempt to find the answers you seek myself. However, I must warn you that Harry might not know exactly what he is doing, and therefore, the investigation may take some time. Harry is also ill at the moment, and might not be up to an interrogation." The Headmaster looked worriedly at Snape, showing concern for Harry.

"Headmaster, you coddle the boy. He has no mental shields, drag the information from him." Severus huffed, as if the answer were obvious.

"Like Voldemort attempted to, Severus? I do not wish to be subject to such an attack, most especially from one I consider an ally. No, the standard method of question and answer will have to suffice." Dumbledore quirked an eyebrow at Snape, " But you are exhausted, we shall talk later."

With that statement, the Headmaster was off, leaving Severus to the tender mercies of Madam Pomfrey.


	8. Replies and Memories

Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to Harry Potter, and precious little of this plot. This is my first attempt, and I need all the feedback I can get.

Sunday night was an eye opener for both Harry and Tonks. Tonks had already filled the Pensieve with various childhood memories, so Harry took the first turn viewing. Ted Tonks is a muggle-born, and therefore, Nymie, as she was called by her parents, got used to both the muggle and magical worlds as a kid. One memory showed her playing with Sirius when she was five. She said it was the last time she saw him until he broke out of Azkaban. She had a happy childhood, despite the lack of Black relatives. She showed him two of her birthday parties, and the day she got her Hogwarts letter.

After viewing her memories, Harry turned ambivalent. "Are you sure you want to do this? What does my life before Hogwarts have to do with me now, anyway?"

Tonks smiled. "They are important years, Harry, that's why they are called 'formative years', because they help determine what you will be like when you grow up," Tonks was surprised at the fear that Harry showed when she told him that. Under protest, he put some memories in the bowl.

Tonks entered, and couldn't believe what she was seeing. Living in a cupboard? Locked in there for days. Punished for asking for candy, or even a little more food. Being Dudley's personal punching bag. His surprising accidental apperation to the school roof. Talking with the snake at the zoo, and temporarily vanishing the glass. She came out of the memories spitting nails.

"How could they do that to you? You didn't show me the worst of it, did you? I should hex them into next week." She then paused, and seemed to get even angrier. "Where was Dumbledore? Didn't he keep track of you? Your school letter was addressed to 'the cupboard under the stairs'! Doesn't anyone check these things? I'll go straight to the proper office at the Ministry and tan their hides." She continued to seethe, until Harry kissed her, once again on the lips. Once more she stiffened, and collapsed onto his chest, smiling.

"It's over with now, Tonks. What's done is done, and no amount of blaming can alter what has already happened. I got over it and moved on. Please don't tie yourself into knots over it. After all, I think it's now my job to make you happy, and I aim to do just that." Harry held her in his arms, literally holding her up.

She smiled up at him, and realized that he was taller than she thought he was. "Stand up straight, lover boy, you seem to have grown." Tonks, in her present form, was 5'7". Harry appeared to be at least four inches taller. "When did you start pushing six feet, Harry?"

Harry looked confused, "Never, I've been 5'8" for a while now. Are you sure?"

Tonks nodded, "You bet, this is my standard body, and it is 5'7". You must have grown and not noticed. Now, how about practicing keeping your magic under control under duress?"

"What kind of duress? Harry asked, wondering what she had in mind.

"While I'm kissing you, of course." Tonks added with a smile

They studied long into the night, and despite the increase in Harry's control, his new learned technique still left Tonks spent. It was only after nearly 2 hours of practice, that Tonks told Harry that every kiss produced an orgasm on her part. Harry turned beet red, and asked her why she didn't say something sooner. Tonks replied that he was her fiancé now, so that it was completely okay, and soon she would have to return the favor. She then took pity on the horribly embarrassed boy, and tucked him in bed with a warning.

"That's okay for now, get all the embarrassment done with, because in three weeks, you're mine."

On Monday morning, shortly before Tonks was relieved by Mad-eye, she brought up that it would be nice for Harry to meet her parents before they told the Order. Harry thought it would be a good idea to notify his close friends at the same time as the Order. So they both came to the conclusion that Dumbledore would have to be told first, and before the next Order meeting.

Tonks was scheduled to be back at Privet Drive on Wednesday. They would use that night to go over the rest of each other's memories, and then tell Dumbledore on Thursday, giving him a full day to arrange for Harry's friends to come to the Order meeting, and allowing that same day for Tonks to introduce Harry to her parents. Both Tonks and Harry would speak to Remus in the mean time, so they can present a unified front to Dumbledore.

Over the next two days, Harry finished revising all his subjects through fourth year. On Tuesday night, Remus, who had spoken to Dumbledore about the Thursday morning meeting, related the news of the death of Bellatrix Lestrange. Harry was stunned, but didn't know how to react. Eventually, he acquired a healthy respect for his unknown ability, and felt badly that he could cause anyone's death, but he couldn't feel sorry that Bellatrix was gone. This event helped put the Prophecy in perspective for him. Remus quoted a muggle movie that seemed to sum up his feelings.

"The right is a powerful thing, and should only be used sparingly."

To get his mind off these new revelations, Remus helped him start on Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes. Harry was amazed that magic could be quantified, and using the theories from these two fields, new spells could be created. Harry had trouble grasping the theory, until Remus took several charms and jinxes Harry knew, and broke them down into their Arithmantic representation. Ancient Runes was more like a language course, and featured plenty of memorization. The only part that made it remotely interesting was the variance in spell outcome with variance in pronunciation.

Wednesday morning brought replies to several of the letters he sent, as well as a few new ones. Hermione, Ron, and Ginny sent replies, and he also received a letter from the twins. He decided to open the twins' letter first, as it might be set to go off on a time delay. After having checked the letter thoroughly for traps, Harry opened it with an old quill, which abruptly turned a bright red.

Dearest Investor,

We are greatly saddened that you have not been able to visit Weasley's Wizard Wheezes as of yet. We have taken the liberty of providing you with a sampler, in hopes of cheering you up, as well as showing what your investment hath wrought.

Hath wrought? Laying it on a bit thick, aren't we George? Harrikins, we sent you our beginner's sampler. You know, canary crèmes, ton-tongue toffee, and three skiving snack boxes. We do believe your cousin would make a wonderful canary, and it's hard to do chores after nosebleed nougat.

Of course, Fred, I just felt we should show a little respect to the man who allowed us to realize our vision, even though he does wear glasses. If you are wondering why our letter only had that minor gag, you can blame our little Gin-Gin. She personally packed the package, and threatened us with her potent bat-bogey hex if we did anything more.

She most certainly did. Right scary, our little sister, especially when it comes to you. She also packed your vault key. That's right, you are getting 20 of the profits, and we arranged it so you couldn't refuse it. Weasleys don't take charity, so learn to live with it. Hopefully, you'll be able to stop by while getting your schoolbooks this year.

Hope to see you soon

George and Fred

Harry couldn't help but chuckle; Fred and George don't seem to know how to be depressed. Reading a letter from the two manic brothers was always good for a laugh.

Next, Ron:

Hey, Mate,

I'm glad you've started writing back. I knew you might need some time, but Hermione just wouldn't let up. Getting your letter made my life much easier.

In case you are wondering, Hermione's house has a sometimes connection to the floo network, so she's been over a few times this summer. Mum is pushing Dumbledore to let you go as soon as possible. She said that Tonks and Professor Lupin were helping. All three of them dressed Dumbledore down a week ago. Mum was furious that he told your guards not to talk to you. It was Tonks who broke that rule, and got him to change it, so I hear. How are the muggles? I don't suppose they can do anything with a guard with you at all times.

Ginny is spending 4 hours a day at the twins' store, running the register, and packing the mail orders. Sometimes we get some Quiddich practice in before she goes to work. On the weekends, the twins and Bill usually stop by, and we all get a good session in. We still can't get Hermione on a broom, but she'll sit by the clearing, reading happily.

Now that you've written back, all she can talk about is her O.W.L.s, and haw she is so worried she could have done better. As if she'd have anything to worry about, she probably got all O's.

Hope to see you soon, mate

Ron

Harry knew he'd have to thank Tonks as soon as he saw her next. Without talking to her and Remus, he'd be a basket case by now. Well, let's see what Hermione has to say.

Harry,

I'm glad you have someone to talk to, and I want you to know that I'm still willing to be a sympathetic ear, if you need one. You don't need to apologize for that night. You tried to verify your vision, and it seemed correct.

I'm completely healed; so don't worry on my account.

I wish I could be as sure as you are about my O.W.L.s, I know I obsess over it, but I don't seem to be able to stop it.

I can't wait to find out your news; I just hope it's good for a change.

My house has been temporarily hooked up to the floo network from time to time, so I have visited Ron and Ginny a few times. Ginny works at the twins' store, so I've seen more of Ron than her. I wish I could get him to be half as interested in schoolwork as he is in Quiddich, but it seems a losing battle. I was very happy that you asked for a revising schedule, and more than happy to provide it. I really hope you continue to study from now on, it might get Ron to study, who knows?

Hope to see you soon,

Love

Hermione

Typical, another rant on study habits, but I wonder what's between the lines. How often is 'time to time', and how often does Hermione go to the Burrow when Ginny's not there? I wish they would quit playing around and go out already. Maybe Ginny can fill in some of the blanks.

Harry,

I'm glad you're feeling better. Tonks and Professor Lupin must be pretty good listeners, and I'm glad they could be there for you.

You know, the only way to stop any of us from following you was for you not to go. With the information you had, you not going was impossible. One thing Hermione is wrong about, your 'saving people thing' is one of the best things about you. Without it, I wouldn't be here to tell you.

After what happened first year, being menaced by Bellatrix wasn't so bad, and once again, you stepped in front of me.

We need to talk about what happened to you, if it hurt, it was different than what happened to me. We can add that into the things you need to say.

Ron and Hermione are spending more time together, but still dancing around the issue. Maybe a good embarrassing prank could spur some movement? I'm open to suggestions.

Love

Ginny

Well, that's interesting, something to discuss with Tonks tonight.

Albus Dumbledore was usually a patient man. Living through 16 decades tends to give one perspective. This summer, however, presented him with a two-month deadline in more than one venue. He had to get the inheritance law stricken, or find a new headquarters. He also had to find a way to reverse the shielding charm on Harry, and that was life or death. At the order meeting, he would ask Bill Weasley to join the charm breaking team. He hoped the experienced charm breaker would be able to remove the charm, without hurting Harry, even though he usually worked with inanimate objects.

Severus reported that Voldemort is researching, trying to find out what Harry did to both himself and Bellatrix. There are also plans in the making to raid Azkaban, as well as assassinations ordered on high Ministry officials. Albus had his hands full trying to covertly inform the Ministry about any of these plans, as the Order was spread thin protecting it's own members, and their families.

"Concentrate on the good; acknowledge the progress we have made." This thought surfaced, just as he had trained it to. There would be three new members inducted into the Order next meeting, the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan. Minister Fudge is actively seeking his guidance again, and there were a record amount of O's in Defense on both O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. We have Harry to thank for that.

Thinking of Harry, perhaps moving him to Headquarters would be best. Heaven knows what havoc his uncontrolled magic could cause in a muggle setting. Here he wouldn't be able to tear the building down around himself, or at least not after a few precautions. It would also reduce stress in the Order. The only thing is he will have to be quarantined here, only allowed to see those who already know of his condition. It would destroy morale if it got out he may very well die.

There was a flash, as Fawkes phoenix teleported from his perch, on to the desk Dumbledore was sitting at. The phoenix stared at the Headmaster, and produced a squawk that Albus had never heard before, he sounded angry. Dumbledore went to comfort his familiar, only to have Fawkes dodge his hand. He then jumped back and started a song, a call to hearth and home. Albus found the song soothing, and he thought of the old friends he had lost, the family he lost, and the family and friends he now had. Then Fawkes surprised Dumbledore by summoning his special pocket watch through a phoenix teleport. He pushed the watch toward Albus with his beak. The Headmaster picked up the watch, the one that monitored the wards on #4 Privet Drive, and opened it. It showed that the wards were at full strength, and Harry was slightly ill, the only way the watch could show his present condition. Dumbledore was confused by Fawkes' actions. As soon as that thought registered, the phoenix emitted a sound that closely resembled a snort, and he phoenix teleported out of the office.

Albus filed this episode with many others, ones to be sorted out in his Pensieve when he got the time.

Mundungus Fletcher spoke to Harry the least of all his guards. Dung was afraid of how Dumbledore would react if anything happened on his watch, especially after the Dementor incident. So Dung nearly blasted Fawkes as he appeared around noon at Harry's.

Fawkes flew to Harry's bed, and perched on the headboard. Harry got up to check if he carried a letter, but there was none.

"Hi, Fawkes, what can I do for you?" Harry asked as he stroked Fawkes' feathers. The phoenix rubbed his head on Harry's hand, and a flame appeared. The flame didn't hurt, in fact, the area where the flame was, was the only part of him that did not feel like it was burning. The flame raced down his arm to his bicep, where he felt a slight burning, then felt a quenching coolness radiate outward from the right bicep, covering his whole body. Harry relaxed completely for the first time in 4 days, and collapsed onto his bed. Looking up at the phoenix, Harry softly thanked him, and Fawkes trilled a 'you're welcome'. Then the phoenix leapt back into the air, and was gone with another flash.

" Mundungus, I'm going to sleep now. This is the first time since the weekend that I haven't hurt all over, and I don't know haw long it will last." With these words, Harry arranged himself on his bed, and almost instantly fell asleep.

By the time Tonks arrived, Harry had just awoken after 6 uninterrupted hours of restful sleep. He had just eaten another Order provided meal. And Tonks was happily surprised to see how he looked. Harry knew she was worried on Sunday night, as she could tell he was in pain. Now, the burning sensation was almost completely gone, and it no doubt showed.

After Dung left, Tonks pulled out the Pensieve. "Ready, lover boy? I've chosen several memories, starting with my first day at Hogwarts, and ending with my graduation from Auror School. These aren't all really nice memories, so try not to get mad, okay?"

Harry nodded, and entered the Pensieve. Tonks discovered she was a metamorphmagus in her first year, and received extra training form Professor McGonagall for the first three years of school. She was a Ravenclaw, and Harry saw the constant jockeying for position that occurred throughout the years. Grades and knowledge equated to status, a constantly changing unspoken hierarchy existed, and not knowing your place in the pecking order would cause it to drop. Other than strict grades and house points, the ability to show up others in games of knowledge added to status. Harry was glad Hermione didn't become a Ravenclaw, as she would have hexed several people by now, and nobody would be able to prove it.

Starting her third year, the boys started to notice her, sometimes sixth and seventh year boys. Tonks was very fit, and had just started to mature. The only major problem was that, though her metamorphmagus skills were not announced, they were well known or rumored. She was very popular, and would change herself willingly for her boyfriends, until they requested she change into a specific girl at school, or requested specific changes to her breast size, and then attempted to fondle her. This was the time that she learned to hate her name. Those stupid boys would always compare her to a nymph, saying she was aptly named. After a horrible year, Tonks re-invented herself, and arrived in fourth year very much the way she looked today, short spiky hair, garishly colored when she could get away with it, heart shaped face, and big eyes that changed color frequently. She adopted muggle punk fashion, which she wore as often as she could. She maintained her outgoing attitude, but added a quick temper if slighted. In the wizarding world, her independent attitude did not go over well. By the end of her stay at Hogwarts, her grades were excellent, she excelled in dueling, and she had accrued the most detention time of any Ravenclaw, ever. All of which she was proud of.

A combination of her 7 N.E.W.T.s, 5 of which were outstanding, her dueling skills, and her physical fitness, she was accepted into the Auror school training program. Tonks continued to excel in her studies, her spell repertoire increased 5 fold, and she acquired skills in tracking, stealth, evasion, and escape. Disguise took on a whole new meaning with Tonks, and sometimes she thought all she was hired for was her metamorphmagus abilities. But she was assured that they just wanted to use all her capabilities to the fullest.

Tonks figured that was true when she passed the two-year mark, and she was alone in her class, all of her classmates couldn't make the cut.

After the second year, Aurors went into the field with a mentor to finish their training. Tonks was assigned to Kingsley Shacklebolt; a high ranking and well respected Auror. Within six months, Tonks joined the Order of the Phoenix. It wasn't until recently that Tonks thought Kingsley was asked by Dumbledore to get mentorship over her to try to get a metamorphmagus in the Order.

From fourth year onward, Tonks didn't have a boyfriend for more than 2 weeks. She didn't even try 6th or 7th years, or after her first year in Auror training.

Harry came out of the memories, his eyes wet, struggling to control himself. He locked eyes with Tonks, and then pulled her into a hug.

"How could they have treated you that way? There are 25-year-olds I want to track down and force them to at least apologize to you. I have a bone to pick with a few teachers as well, I know what it's like to get in trouble for defending yourself." He rocked her back and forth. Tonks was surprised she found herself crying, she had thought she'd let all this go a long time ago. But, here she was, crying on Harry's shoulder, and he was gently rubbing her back, murmuring soothing words. The whole thing was surprisingly cathartic.

After about 10 minutes, Tonks had let all those old, bad feelings go, and was starting to feel the heat from Harry's body, and his strong arms holding her. She regimented her drifting thoughts.

"Harry, if you continue to hold me this way, I don't think we'll get to your memories, I think we'll be making a few." She smiled at Harry as he released her and blushed.

"You did very well so far, I didn't feel one burst of magic."

Harry smiled in return, "Fawkes stopped by around noon, and passed a cooling fire to me. I found a small phoenix tattoo on my bicep after he did it. Since then the pain is almost completely gone." Harry then grew serious. "Do you need to see all the times I fought Voldemort? Most of them still give me nightmares."

Tonks sobered as well, "Yes, Harry, I do. If you still get nightmares, they are life-altering events, ones that show who you are, and how they may have impacted on you. Feel free to give me happy memories as well." Tonks ended with a small smile

Harry pulled about 12 memories out, and handed the Pensieve back to Tonks.

As Tonks entered, she saw Hagrid giving Harry his letter, and laughed at Dudley's tail. Next she saw Harry meeting Ron and Hermione. The next threw her, she was still at Hogwarts in Harry's first year, and she knew nothing about them and that troll, they'd just told everyone it was captured.

Next came the traps associated with the Philosophers Stone, and his first memory of Voldemort. Tonks found the symbiotic Dark Lord terrifying. Harry's defeat of him was not as surprising, now that she knew the Prophecy.

After viewing Dobby at the Dursleys, he skipped to the Chamber of Secrets. Tonks almost left the memories at the sight of the Basilisk. Seeing a 12-year-old boy kill a 60-foot Basilisk was truly amazing, and she thanked Merlin for Fawkes.

Third year, he showed a Quiddich game, and the entire series of events, which led to Sirius' escape. Once more Tonks was amazed by these young kids, using time turners to alter the events of the last 12 hours. That was the kind of stuff Unspeakables did.

The forth year memories showed all three tasks. The end of the last task did force Tonks to leave the memories. She was crying profusely, and latched onto Harry as holding on for dear life.

"How can you stand it, Harry? All of these terrible things keep happening to you. What is Dumbledore doing? Why can't he protect you? If this is the best he can do, why hasn't he trained you more?"

Harry whispered back, "Have you looked at all of the memories?"

Tonks shook her head and snuggled closer, "No, I didn't see last year."

Harry released her, and handed her the Pensieve, "This is important for the whole picture."

Tonks immersed herself again, seeing Umbridge, the D.A., and the whole battle at the Department of Mysteries.

She exited and grabbed him again. "Umbridge broke at least four laws, the maximum penalties could land her in Azkaban for 15 years. The D.A. was brilliant; you have more people in your club that can cast Patroni than I know of in the Aurors." Tonks then dissolved into tears. "Losing Sirius, being possessed, then throwing the Prophecy at you, the man has lost it. From now on, I won't do anything blindly for Dumbledore." Her crying stopped, and she attempted a smile. "As you know, I now know you better than any boyfriend I've ever had. This is a good thing, as I plan to tell my parents I intend to marry you."

Harry blushed, and reached behind his pillow, pulling out a jewelry box. "Tonks, will you marry me?" Harry opened the box and handed it to her. Inside was a gold ring with three stones, a one-and-a-half carat diamond, flanked by a half-carat sapphire, and a half-carat ruby.

Tonks gasped, then stared at Harry. "Where did you get this? It's beautiful."

Harry smiled widely. "I asked Remus to get it out of the Potter family vault. It belonged to my mother."

Tonks smiled back, "Yes, I will." She then handed the box back to him, and thrust out her hand. "Go ahead, put it on."

Harry stood, and slipped the ring on her finger, Tonks then proceeded to jump on him, and snog him senseless.

They talked and snogged late into the night. Tonks even tried to teach Harry how to dance, or at least give a lesson. After about 10 minutes, the dancing became rocking while holding each other. Suddenly the liquid fire ran down Harry's legs, and his feet lit up. Gasping in pain, Harry fell into bed and began his meditation, while Tonks bandaged his feet. After 15 minutes, Harry's bicep flared, like it did when Fawkes was there, and a cool wave settled over him. The pain was steady, at a low but constant level. As it was late, and they were scheduled to see Dumbledore at 7:00 am, Harry went to sleep.


	9. Meeting Dumbledore and the Parents

Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to Harry Potter, and precious little of this plot. This is my first attempt, and I need all the feedback I can get.

A/N: I'd like to thank all my reviewers for their kind words and positive feedback.

Thursday morning brought seasonable heat, which was already uncomfortable at 6:00 am when Tonks woke Harry, so he had time to get ready for the meeting. Harry showered, and changed into the best fitting clothes he owned, and was mostly finished with a nice, Order supplied, breakfast, when Remus and Dumbledore arrived.

Remus looked nervous, but Dumbledore wore his usual calm like a shroud. Harry could tell the Headmaster was not as calm as he projected. As usual, Dumbledore began the meeting.

"Harry, I am glad you asked for this meeting. I think it would be best for all involved if you were to join us at Headquarters, where we can more carefully monitor your needs." As Albus finished his statement, Tonks was shaking with anger. Harry grabbed Tonks' left hand, the one with the engagement ring, and squeezed slightly. Tonks looked at Harry, and squeezed back, huffed, but remained silent.

"Why the abrupt change in position, Professor? Didn't you tell both Tonks and Remus that I would need three more weeks here? How is my immediate departure best for 'all involved'? Who would it be best for?" Harry asked all these questions in a quiet and reasonable tone.

Dumbledore made his face impassive to cover shock. How could this be the same child who had, just a month ago, tried to demolish his office? He was looking beyond the façade, and that could be dangerous.

"Come now, Harry, wouldn't it be best for both you and the Dursleys, for you to stay at Headquarters? There are many in the Order who are also worried about you, and it would be best for them as well. As for the time limit, apparently something about your condition has caused the blood ward to charge up completely." Dumbledore smiled, hoping neither Harry or Tonks would dig further.

"What is the status of the work on the charm, Professor? Is there an end in sight?"

Once more, Harry's voice was carefully modulated.

"There are actually two charms. This, of course, makes the job more difficult, but I am confident that we will be able to break the charms soon." This discussion was getting too close to some very uncomfortable facts. It was time to shut down the discussion.

Reaching into his pocket, Albus pulled out a chess piece. "This is a portkey, that will take you to the front hall at Headquarters. Miss Tonks, Remus, will you gather Harry's belongings?"

"Professor Dumbledore, we have something to tell you, something that will solve the problems of the charms, and the problems at Headquarters. Both can be solved at once by doing one thing." Harry paused, giving the Headmaster a chance to ask how, or figure it out.

Albus was nonplussed. What did the boy know? He couldn't possibly have a solution. "It would be nice if such a solution existed, Harry, but I fear you are mistaken."

Harry shook his head. "Actually, Headmaster, the solution does exist, and we've taken the first steps toward it. I've asked Tonks to marry me, and she has accepted." As Harry finished speaking, Tonks thrust her left hand at Dumbledore's face, proudly showing her engagement ring.

Dumbledore stood dazed, so dazed he allowed them to see it. He had never thought of the possibility. Why had he not thought of the possibility? The reason was because the plan hinged on someone else, and would be out of his control. If they go through with this, Harry will legally be an adult, and he would not be virtually forced into doing what Dumbledore calculated necessary. He had recently lost the respect and deference Harry had for him. He had also lost the blind obedience once shown to him by Tonks. His usual method of leading people would not work on them any more. But what can I do to stop it?

"Remus, surely you do not think this is what is best for Harry? As his guardian, you could stop this."

Remus straightened, "I could, Professor, but then I would be a failure as a guardian. It's obvious they both care deeply for each other, and the marriage is the only sure way to break the charm. I would be remiss in my duty to suggest he take a course that would gamble with his life."

Albus was frantic; he still needed both Tonks and Remus to carry out his plans. He needed to keep a hold on them, but that hold was sitting with them, and would soon be out of his control. What was worse, these events could lead to a split in the Order. Perhaps he could do something to stem that tide.

"You do realize that, if you do this, you will have to keep it secret. For your own safety, Miss Tonks, no one must know." There, that should slow them down.

"That would be impossible, Professor. Narcissa Malfoy will know no later than the 31st of August, and most likely sooner. We have already discussed this, and Tonks will use her special abilities to avoid detection. Rest assured, Narcissa will make sure everyone knows exactly whom my wife will be. Tonks figured that she might be able to use that to our advantage." Harry was surprised at the Headmaster, using such transparent arguments. What Harry wouldn't give to find out the real reasons Dumbledore was against the marriage.

Dumbledore shook his head, and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was grasping at straws, as theirs was the optimal solution for them. Resignedly, he asked. "Very well, what would you like me to do?"

"Could you arrange to have Ron, Hermione, and Ginny at the Order meeting tomorrow? We plan on telling the Order as a whole, and would like to have my friends find out at the same time. Also, at the appropriate time, could you perform the wedding?"

Harry decided to throw an olive branch, just to see if he would pick it up.

"I will arrange for your friends to be at Headquarters, but I cannot, in good conscience, perform the wedding. I will see you all tomorrow at 6:00 pm, good day."

With those remarks, Dumbledore apperated away.

The remaining people in the room shared glances, and Harry was the first to speak.

"Well, that could have gone better. I can see how the whole situation could be bad for him, though. No matter which way he goes with his approval of us, he will antagonize someone in the Order."

Tonks looked a little sad, "It's not easy, having your illusions shattered. Until the beginning of this summer, I would have blindly accepted anything he said. There was no one else that I trusted more. Now, I don't know if I should stay in the Order."

Harry put an arm around her shoulders. "I know how you feel, after a year of wondering what I did to lose his trust and affection, I found out in one horrible night that I never really had either. I think you should stay in the Order, at least for now. The information could be useful, and I respect most of the members. If he tries to keep you away from me, he'll get a rude awakening. Between my Marauder heritage, Moony over here, and the Weasley twins, I would make him extremely sorry he messed with me."

"He didn't say anything about this portkey after the first. Lets go shopping. I would like you to look presentable when you meet my parents. After that, we'll gather your things, and portkey to Headquarters." Tonks happily gave directions, speaking into Harry's sternum.

Harry stood, and extended an arm. "Shall we be off, my Lady?"

Tonks stood as well and smiled widely. "Why, most certainly sir, do lead on."

As soon as Tonks took his arm, she side along apperated with Harry. Upon arriving at the apperation point near the Leaky Cauldron, she was surprised to discover that the double apperation did not tire her.

"Alright, Harry, you need new muggle clothes. My dad is muggle-born, and we dress muggle around the house. Let's get out of here, and to Harrods. Hopefully you won't attract attention in the muggle world." Tonks led Harry off to the underground, then to Harrods. He had never seen such a large store, with so much variety.

"You know, Tonks, I don't have any muggle money on me, and only about 100 galleons. Maybe we should have gone to Gringotts first." Harry was not going to let Tonks pay for his clothes.

Tonks looked at him strangely, "Only 100 galleons? You could get a nice wardrobe for 800 pounds. But that's beside the point, there's a magical part of Harrods, and there is a Gringotts branch there. They will check your account, and allow you access to up to half of it, and convert it to pounds, if necessary. We're meeting my parents at 10 this morning, and it's 8:30, so we don't have time to shop properly. We'll just get you one good outfit for now, but I reserve the right to get you a whole new wardrobe as soon as possible." She ended her statement with a smile, and dragged him to the mens wear section

They arrived at the apperation point at 9:45, and Tonks double-apperated them to an alley just off of her parent's house. Andromeda and Ted Tonks lived in a mid-sized Victorian house. The exterior was well kept, but not to the point of Privet Drive. Tonks walked right in, calling, "Anybody home? It's your darling daughter, and I've brought a friend."

"Right in here, Nymie, we're in the kitchen, would you care for some brunch?"

A clear soprano called back, one nearly identical to Tonks'. She looked daggers at him, "No word of this gets out, and if you ever call me that, I'll hex you into next week."

"I won't tell anyone, but do you want me to call you Tonks after we're married? I know why you don't like your name, but I need something to call you. I'll let you think of what you want me to call you. Now let's meet your parents." That said, Harry followed a thoughtful Tonks around the corner.

Sitting at the kitchen table, sized for about six, was a jovial looking man, and a woman whose features screamed Black. Andromeda Tonks sat with poise and grace, something her daughter only seemed to posses in combat. Pale skin and dark eyes accentuated her high cheekbones and thin face. She looked more like Sirius' sister than his cousin, and Harry was overcome for a moment. He quickly recovered when she smiled, the smile so similar to her daughter's, it put him right at ease.

Ted Tonks reminded Harry of Charlie Weasley. The man was not overly tall, but solidly built. His blue eyes and light brown hair contrasted sharply with his wife's black hair and eyes. As he and Tonks entered, her parents stood, and crossed to meet them. Both hugged their daughter, then cast curious glances at Harry.

Tonks hadn't told her parents why she was coming. She looked at Harry, and figured he looked as if he were her age, except for his thin frame. 'Well,' she thought, 'Here goes nothing'.

"Mum, Dad, I'd like you to meet Harry Potter." She paused to allow her parents to digest that information. Harry stepped up and greeted them both, shaking their hands. Moments before she was going to drop the bombshell, her Mother's eyes grew large, and she reached out to her husband for support, as she nearly fainted. Andromeda glanced at her daughter, " You can't be serious, can you? If you are, I need to hear the reasons."

Ted Tonks caught on a moment later. "This can't be Harry Potter, can it? He's what, 15 years old? This man looks your age, Nymph. Who is he really, and why the deception with the man you intend to marry?"

Nymph smiled at her dad. "I'm sorry, dad, this is Harry Potter, and he is 15. He'll turn 16 at the end of July. Mum, the reasons are complex, as you might imagine. Do you need to know all the details? Would knowing that we care for each other deeply be enough?"

Harry spoke up, "See that ring on her finger? That belonged to my mother. Although this marriage will solve certain problems that might not have much to do with your daughter, she has informed me that our relationship was getting deeper anyway, the only change was timing. I did properly propose, and will try to give her the wedding she wants and deserves."

"Nymphadora, I'm afraid I will need to know the exact circumstances that led to this decision. They must be overwhelming to precipitate these events." Andromeda addressed her daughter almost as if all the familial feeling left the room.

After swearing her parents to secrecy, Tonks and Harry filled them in or the circumstances, including Harry's 'health' issue.

Andromeda spoke first. "Sirius was brilliant, and he claimed Lily Potter made him feel stupid. It is amazing that she crafted 2 charms that have stumped the combined knowledge of Hogwarts staff. I'm still not completely sure why it would have to be you, Nymie, doesn't Dumbledore have any back-up plans?"

Tonks replied angrily, "His sole plan was to try to find a new place to put Headquarters, and to attempt to find a solution for Harry, before his condition becomes lethal."

"Well, at least now I can figure out why he is angry. He just had some very important decisions made for him. Despite the favorable conclusion for all concerned, you effectively took him out of the loop. I doubt he likes being out of any decision, once someone gains control over powerful organizations, they are reluctant to relinquish it. In addition, he has been the one everyone looked to for answers for so long, he might have lost the personal side of his perspective. He probably views everyone as parts of a plan, and has adopted a personality that allows him the most control over the most people."

Andromeda smiled at the young couple. "You two, along with Remus, have probably scared the man witless. He would view any deviation from his 'grand plan' as dangerous, and you are challenging his authority. You will have to watch the man carefully. Remember, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions."

Harry had his head in his hands. Andromeda's words rang true. How could he fight both Voldemort and Dumbledore? Harry suddenly realized that the Order meeting was much more important than a means of telling them all about the marriage. How would the Order members view their actions? Those who followed Dumbledore blindly would just accept his decision. The question was, how many followed blindly? Hadn't even Molly Weasley railed against Dumbledore? And Harry was the cause of the dispute.

Harry looked up at the Tonks' with sorrow in his eyes. "Dumbledore must hate me, or at least see me to be as troublesome as Snape does. He assembles the Order of the Phoenix, dedicated to opposing Voldemort. Then this one child appears, one who, through his mother's brilliance, defeated Voldemort. Fourteen years later, Voldemort uses the same child to resurrect himself. Now this child is a bone of contention in his Order, spurring obedient members to question him, to try to force him to change his carefully laid plans. It's surprising he was as civil to us as he was."

Tonks put an arm around him. "None of the events you just pointed out were controlled by you. What's causing the contention is not your existence, but the fact that some of us don't like the way he has treated you, and, through inaction, allowed you to be treated. Mum's right, apparently none of his 'plans' takes your well being into account."

Harry looked at her and asked, "Have you determined what you want me to call you? If I call you Tonks all the time here, who will know who I'm speaking to?"

She huffed and rolled her eyes. "Okay, I guess Nym would be alright, but it will take a while to get used to." Immediately her thoughts turned to scrutinizing 'Nym Potter', she liked the sound of that.

Ted spoke up. "Well, honey, if this what you want, we're behind you. I should have known the man you married would be out of the ordinary, and I'd say you've exceeded any expectations on that count." Ted smiled and took Harry's hand in a warm handshake. "Welcome to the family, son."

Harry, overcome with emotion, managed to get out, "Thank you, sir. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Andromeda hugged her daughter, and went to hug Harry as well. "Nonsense, dear boy. It would be beyond hypocrisy if I were to raise an objection to my daughter's unusual choice, after my own unusual choice. Welcome, son."

Harry sobbed a bit into Andromeda's shoulder. When she released her hold, he smiled at her. "I thank you for your understanding and kindness. I see where Nym gets it from."

The flattering speech almost made Tonks miss her new nickname. Her normal ire rose, only to be slapped down by the flattery. Her mouth opened and closed several times. Her parents noticed and laughed. Ted wrapped an arm around Harry, and told him, in a stage whisper, "I think you broke her."

That snapped her out of it. "Daddy! Please don't encourage him!"

Andromeda cut in, "Come dear, you've chosen well if he can leave you speechless."

Both blushed, remembering the other times Harry left her speechless. At the color change, Ted chuckled, and Andromeda raised an eyebrow. At this point, Ted took Harry off to the living room, while the women stayed in the kitchen.

Andromeda then proceeded to interrogate her daughter, after which she was impressed. Secretly, she thought Nymphadora should have been a Gryffindor, now she saw why her daughter was a Ravenclaw. Every contingency had been thought of and planned for, including putting her parents house under the Fidelus.

Ted looked at Harry. "Here is when I am supposed to interrogate you as to how you can support my daughter, if you truly realize how special she is, and make some ill-masked threats of what would happen to you if you were to hurt her. Given your circumstances, those questions were answered, and the point is moot. Here is the hard question that I have for you. Do you think Nymphadora could bear losing you?"

Harry thought on the question a moment. "There is something else, something I have told Nym, but we didn't tell you. We did that because that information could put you in danger. The way the situation stands; Voldemort will keep trying to kill me until he or I am dead. Nym knows this, as well as the reasons behind it. I don't really know if she could bear it, but I'm going to try my hardest to make sure we never have to find out. I'm sure I couldn't stand to lose her. If it were a choice between me dieing, or her injured, I'd choose me dieing,"

Ted reeled at his response, "I couldn't ask for more than that. Let's make sure you both survive. I want grandkids eventually."

Harry and Nym stayed for lunch, then double-apperated back to Privet Drive. After collecting Harry's things, they portkeyed to Grimauld Place, where they were surprised to see Kreature.

The demented house elf started to say, "Good afternoon, Master and Mist…" He then began to shriek. "Not master yet, but will be soon. Oh, Mistress, what can Kreature do?" He then proceeded to run around, hitting the corners hard. He stopped, as having an epiphany, and snapped his fingers, a smile on his face. At the snap of his fingers, Kreature's head disappeared, and the body dropped. No blood flowed.

A banging noise came from the right side of the entryway. Both spun, drawing their wands, tracking on the portrait of Mrs. Black, which fell off the wall. Nym picked up the portrait, and leaned it against the wall.

"Well then, let's clean up this mess and get you settled in the master suite." Nym smiled as she banished the house elf corpse.

Remus came running into the hallway, slowing abruptly and smiling when he recognized who was there. "I wasn't sure when you'd get here. The master suite has been cleaned, and is ready for you to move in to. Where is your stuff, Tonks?"

Harry blushed, and even Tonks reddened a little. Remus chuckled, and smiled at them. "You do realize, as a suite, there are actually two bedrooms in the master suite."

Relief showed in both their faces. The three of them went to the third floor to install Harry in the master suite.


	10. Telling the Order

Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to Harry Potter, and precious little of this plot. This is my first attempt, and I need all the feedback I can get.

Albus Dumbledore sat at his desk in the Headmaster's office, trying to re-calculate plans that have been in place for years. He had to look into the possibility that Harry should receive training, as the power Voldemort knows not may not just come to the boy. He must send Remus to the werewolves soon, to keep them off balance, so they won't commit as a whole to Voldemort. Bill must stay in England, both to help with knowledge of the Goblins and their state of mind, and as a negotiator on behalf of the Order. Hagrid is already out on another embassy to the Giants, along with Madame Maxime. Fudge should be pressed to allow dragons to protect Hogwarts, perhaps he could get Charlie Weasley to help with negotiations at the preserve. I must find a new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, hopefully one with some practical knowledge. I should press Miss Tonks, Miss Jones, and Miss Delacour to actively begin recruitment for the Order. I need to see if I can get more help for the staff on working on the charm…

No, I need to tell the staff that they can work at their leisure on those bloody charms. I have to think of a way to allow this 'marriage' to happen, while keeping Molly Weasley, Minerva, Dedalus, and Elphias under control. I must be very persuasive to get Miss Tonks recruiting, as she will most likely see the duty as an assault on her chosen course.

I need to talk to the house elves about married students quarters, which haven't been used in fifty years. Perhaps if Miss Tonks wishes to spend more time at Hogwarts, I can use her to infiltrate the student body. I can always use another source of information on the students.

What to do about Harry's friends, and the D.A.. If it were indeed my army, I would have many uses for it. Perhaps, if I were to make it a sanctioned club, then I might still exert some control. Make it so he must allow all students into the club, and require a Faculty Advisor, perhaps Severus, to approve his lesson plans.

Well, enough time to straighten that out later, I must concentrate on tonight's meeting. Unfortunately, I have already invited Amelia Bones to the meeting. Perhaps, I could delay her entrance until the division is over? I need to send her a letter to amend her arrival to 9:00 pm.

Where is Fawkes? He has been gone since his outburst on Wednesday. I wonder what's wrong with him? Well, I'll use a school owl to send it.

Just as the thought crossed Albus' mind, his fireplace flared green, and he heard Remus Lupin's voice calling, "Headmaster, are you there?"

He got up and crossed to the fireplace, "Yes, Remus, what can I do for you?"

Remus smirked, "Well, Headmaster, when Harry got here, Kreature somehow killed himself, using his magic."

Dumbledore sighed, "Very well, I shall send Dobby to work there, at least until other arrangements can be made."

"Thanks, Headmaster, I'll see you tonight." Remus smiled and broke the connection.

Albus shook his head, the boy is a trouble magnet.

Harry was nervous about telling his friends, and was pacing the entry hall since nearly noon. Dobby had come several times, to see if he needed anything. Remus had suggested a calming draught, earning a glare from the teen. As much as Nym wanted to comfort him, she knew Harry would be uncomfortable with too much of a public display of affection, so she levitated a sofa from the drawing room into the hall, and convinced him to sit with her. They spoke of inconsequential things, trying to pass the time, while calming themselves, as Harry was not the only one who was nervous.

Tonks found the concept of confronting the entire Order daunting. Many of these people were her friends and colleagues. Some of them were her superiors at work, and distinguished members of the community. Others still were people she respected, and cared about their opinion of her. One thing that made her extremely happy was, after today, she would no longer be the youngest member of the Order. She felt that Fleur didn't really count, as she had yet to become a full member, she was more of an auxiliary.

Finally, at four pm, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley portkeyed into the hall. Harry leapt up, and shook Ron's hand. Promptly after which Hermione threw herself at him, nearly cutting off his air supply, as she now had to stretch up to reach his neck. Much to his surprise, Ginny emulated Hermione, as he once again found himself dragged down, as Ginny was significantly shorter than Hermione. Both women released him, smiling widely, saying their 'good to see you's'. Molly then stepped in with her patented hug, and exclaimed about his height.

Hermione asked the questions that he worried about the most. "Harry, how are you doing? Why do you have those bandages on your hands? Do you know why we were asked to come here tonight?"

Harry looked at Nym and Remus, then back at his patiently waiting friends. "There is a lot I need to tell you, so let's go to the kitchen, so we can at least be a bit more comfortable when we talk."

They all followed Harry downstairs to the kitchen, where they found the table holding snacks, seven glasses, and two pitchers of pumpkin juice. Harry stared off into nothingness, and said, "thanks, Dobby, but you didn't have to do that."

Dobby apperated in with a crack, "It wouldn't be right if I's let master Harry's guests wait for their snacks!"

Harry winced, "Please, Dobby, I've asked you not to call me master. Please just call me Harry."

Dobby smiled widely and his eyes watered, "You's is the most greatest wizard, Mast-, Harry sir." And with that, the ecstatic house elf disapparated.

As they were all taking their seats, Harry noticed a glare from Hermione, and addressed it immediately. "The Headmaster sent Dobby over here, he's still working for the Professor. Unfortunately, when I arrived yesterday, Kreature started to rant a bit, as usual, then he somehow killed himself using his own magic. His head was magically attached to that horrible plaque by the stairs. We've since gotten rid of both the plaque, and the rest of Kreature."

Hermione looked shocked, and put her hand over her mouth as she gasped. The Weasleys didn't appear greatly concerned.

"That was the smallest bit of news I have for you. So get comfortable, as this will take some time." Harry then proceeded to sit at the head of the table, waited for the others to get comfortable, and started.

Firstly, he went over the will, and the state of the inheritance. Then he outlined his current physical condition. This brought the females in the group to tears, even Nym, who'd lived through it with him. Hermione immediately wanted to see the runes and equations. Molly, however started to scrutinize Tonks, who she noticed was sitting next to Harry. Harry sub-consciously reached out under the table to hold Nym's hand, and Molly's eyes widened. She stood abruptly, and started in on a personal Howler.

"Nymphadora Tonks! You can't really be contemplating what I think you are, are you? You are six years older than him! How could you hope to get his guardian to agree? Have you thought about what this would do to Harry?" She was going to continue, but Harry stood, magic rolling off of him in waves, and yelled right back.

"I am here, you know, and I bear half of the responsibility. We have thought through all the options, and this is the best solution we could come up with. If you are wondering about my guardian, he is sitting right there, and he has no objections. If you must blame someone, blame me, I'm the one that asked her to marry me! Don't yell at her about this, as I see it she is sacrificing her own future. The only small positive I can see for her is that I'm not likely to live too long, and then she'd be free." Harry's voice thundered, as if he'd cast a sonorus charm.

Nym jumped up to hug Harry, tears flowing, "NO, Harry, don't ever think that way. I don't want to lose you! Not now, not ever!"

Harry looked at her, and returned the embrace. "I promised your father that I would try my best to stick around. I also let him know, if it's a choice between me and you, I'll make sure you live."

Everyone at the table was stunned, even Molly seemed to be re-evaluating her initial ideas. She added, "but why Tonks specifically? I understand you don't really care about the inheritance."

Harry answered in a much more subdued voice, "There are not that many prospects for me. The only two girls I know better than I knew Tonks at the time, are sitting right here. Don't get me wrong, I suppose you could say that I love both of them, but not romantically. Even if I did, Hermione is the only one old enough, and that is only with parents consent, which I doubt her parents would. I can't say I know what love feels like, but, after we've shared so many memories, and gotten to know each other, I feel more deeply for Nym than I've felt for anyone. I felt certain enough to give her my mothers engagement ring."

Remus spoke up quietly, " I felt it was my duty to make sure he lived past his sixteenth birthday. Agreeing to this was the only way to make sure."

Molly softened her gaze, "You're right, and I suppose this the only way, I'm just sorry that circumstances worked out this way. You do know, Harry, I still consider you a Weasley, which means I guess I should welcome Tonks to the family."

Tonks looked up from Harry's chest, and smiled. "Thanks, Molly, and you can call me Nym, as I soon won't be a Tonks anymore."

Ron stood, and extended a hand to his mate. "You have the strangest problems, mate. Congratulations on the wedding, though." Ron shook his hand, and winked at Harry.

Ginny dissolved into tears, and Harry went to her, Nym only a half step behind.

"Are you okay, I know it's a little sudden, and I didn't announce it like I wanted to. I didn't think you would be really upset. I was told you got over me a long time ago.

Ginny sniffled a bit. "I was over The-Boy-Who-Lived, and the hero of my first year. Over the past year, I'd come to really like Harry, This summer, I thought something could have come from it. Now, that's impossible. I'll be fine, I just need time to come to terms with it. Could you do me one favor though, could you kiss me just once?"

Harry blushed and started to say no, when Nym intervened. "Do it, I think she deserves to know."

Harry looked wide-eyed at Nym, who smiled at him, then looked at Ginny and said. "Brace yourself, Ginny."

Harry leaned over and kissed her gently, however the contact allowed the same burst of magic to flow through. Ginny's eyes flew wide open, and she grabbed Harry's head, deepening the kiss. Unsurprisingly, her body stiffened, as the waves of an orgasm rolled through her, then she passed out for a second.

Harry released the kiss, and saw her wake. "Are you okay, Ginny?"

Ginny looked over at Nym, "You are lucky that Harry is such a nice guy." Then Ginny straightened in her chair, paused, and excused herself.

Molly looked concerned, but did not go to assist her daughter.

Hermione smiled at Harry. "I wish you the best with this marriage, I just hope you'll be able to keep up in school. Maybe To- Nym can help you study? Don't worry, I feel like you are a brother, so I won't ask for a kiss. Ginny seemed to like it though." Hermione finished with a mischievous grin. She then looked over at Nym.

"Where's this ring Harry spoke of, let's see it." Nym proudly provided her hand for viewing, and soon Molly and Hermione were 'oohing and aahing'.

Ron pulled Harry aside, "so, mate, what's it like with a metamorphmagus?" Ron started to leer. Harry's voice came out low and deadly. "She is a woman, not a toy. As to 'what it's like', we haven't gone that far yet. Even when we do, I'll not give you details. If you say one more perverted thing about her abilities, I'll stun you into next week. You don't know how much she has suffered because of that attitude. If you see them before I do, please tell Seamus and Dean the same."

Ron stammered. "Sure, sorry mate, I didn't mean anything by it."

Harry sighed, "I know Ron, just remember she's a real person, and that it would hurt her feelings if you were to talk about her that way, Okay?"

Ron nodded, and both boys proceeded to have some snacks.

Ginny came back presently, smiling, and went over to the ladies, helping to admire Nym's ring.

After 15 minutes or so, the ladies returned to the table, and Harry noticed Ginny sat next to Nym. They carried out a discussion in low tones, punctuated by blushes and giggles. It was surprising to see Nym giggle, yet, for some reason, it didn't seem to bother Harry the way it did when other girls giggled.

Molly got started on dinner, and Dobby insisted on helping, so the rest of them were shooed out of the kitchen. It was nearly 6:00pm before they were allowed back in, by which time Arthur and Bill Weasley, Fleur Delacour, Mundungus Fletcher, and Mad-eye Moody had arrived. They all settled down to a wonderful dinner, with the exception of Mad-eye. During their meal, the rest of the Order arrived, and everyone was ready for a 7:00pm start.

Several members pointed out that the 'children' were still there, when Dumbledore announced, "Due to certain difficulties, Nymphadora Tonks and Harry Potter have decided to wed on July 31st, All of you are invited.

The group who already knew cringed at his delivery, was he trying to make people mad? Deadalus Diggle, Elphias Doge, and Minerva McGonagall all stood and started to shout about how wrong this was, regardless of the cost. Deadalus and Elphias made a few comments about lewdness and metamorphmagi, and Harry stood, aura fully visible, His voice boomed out, "QUIET." The room silenced. Then the flash of fire that accompanies a phoenix bloomed, and Fawkes landed on Harry's shoulder, and started to croon a soothing song.

After a few minutes, Harry's aura winked out, and his expression cleared. Harry smiled at the phoenix, and stroked his feathers. "Thanks, Fawkes." He said, and the phoenix trilled in return. Then Harry turned back to the gathered members in the drawing room.

"Over the past year, ever since I found out about the existence of the Order of the Phoenix, I've wanted to join, as I'd thought you were all dedicated to the downfall of Voldemort, and all he stands for. Tonight, I have seen first hand that the prejudices that give power to Voldemort, are held by some of the members of the order. Also, Professor Dumbledore, why are you so loath to give out information? If you had enumerated the circumstances, I'm sure this explosion wouldn't have happened. I can understand shock, but not outrage. If any of you who object would like to know the specifics of the situation, I will gladly tell you."

The Order sat in stunned silence, Deadalus looked appalled at himself, while Elphias looked to be deep in thought. Suddenly, Snape popped up, sneer affixed to his face. "How dare…" was as far as he got, as Nym and Remus both hit him, one with a silencio, the other with a stunner. Harry smiled at his fiancé, and his guardian, and addressed the order again.

"Now, can we discuss this as reasonable adults? Do we need to? I assure you I will listen to any rational discussion on the matter, now, or at another time. Anyone? Good, then my friends and I will leave you to your meeting." Ron, Hermione, and Ginny stood with Harry, and left the still silent room, Fawkes perched on Harry's shoulder.

Dumbledore broke the silence, calling for old business. Updates to the whereabouts of Death Eaters, their recent recruiting attempts, and surmises of possible targets were discussed. As this was occurring, the three people waiting to join the Order were talking amongst themselves. When Dumbledore called for new business. The Weasley twins, and their friend Lee Jordan, made it known that they would work with the Order, but did not want to join at this time. The Headmaster nodded sagely, and accepted the situation. Molly Weasley looked greatly relieved. The three then were dismissed from the meeting.

All of the younger generation were surprised to see the Twins and Lee before the meeting was over.

"What happened, did you prank the Order?" Ron asked as his brothers sat down and started to snack.

"Oh, would that we did, dear brother…" Fred started.

"It seems they could probably use it." George finished.

"You were dead on in your speech, Harry. They looked at us as extra bodies, or possibly body shields. Well, at least the older crowd did. So we decided not to join." Lee filled in the information.

"Oh, we'll still work with them…" George started.

"We just won't join. Mum was happy." Fred finished.

Harry shook his head, and looked at Fawkes, "He'll be even angrier now, won't he?"

The phoenix answered with a shrill trill, then modulated to a smoother tone, as he looked around at everyone present. Harry understood at once.

"Everyone, we're here, we aim to take down Voldemort, and we have a phoenix right here. I say we start our own Order, or, more accurately, rebuild the Order from the ashes of the old. They mean well, but have lost touch with the human side of the fight. What do you say?"

That night, seven teenagers voluntarily took up the fight, and swore to see it through to its conclusion.

The teenager's discussion was cut short by the arrival of Madame Bones, the Director of Magical Law Enforcement. She entered the kitchen through portkey, at 8:30pm. She noticed the teens, and the abundance of red hair. She therefore assumed they were the children of Order members. She then saw Harry, the only person present she knew on sight.

"Good evening, Mr. Potter. Is that Professor Dumbledore's phoenix?" The stern woman asked, knowing the answer.

"Good evening, Director Bones. Yes, this is Fawkes. I take it you are here for the Order meeting?" This woman reminded Harry of McGonagall, stern but fair. "The meeting is up the stairs, down to the double doors on the right. Would you care for something to eat or drink?"

The woman raised the eyebrow, then smiled, "Why, yes, some tea and biscuits would be nice."

Dobby apperated in, dropped off the biscuits and a full tea service, and disapparated. Madam Bones was stunned by the efficiency of the house elf, as well as the fact that no direction was needed.

"That is a most unusual house elf. How does he know when to show up? Madam Bones was mildly amused by Harry's blush.

"Dobby is a free elf, who has chosen to work here at Headquarters. I think he feels indebted to me, as I freed him from the Malfoys." Harry stammered out. He then paused, and said. "Pardon my manners, I haven't introduced everyone."

Halfway through his introductions, Madam Bones jerked her hand to a pocket, and pulled out what appeared to be a watch. Looking at it, she paled, and quickly put it away, and started to leave the room. "I'm sorry, I must leave. Please apologize to Albus for me, my home is under attack."

At this time, Nym entered. She had walked in during that last statement. "Give us the coordinates, we will apperate there and defend you. Is there anyone at your house right now?"

Madam Bones nodded, "My niece, Susan, her friend, Hannah Abbott, and two Aurors are there." She pulled out a small piece of parchment, and a quill, and scribbled down the coordinates. She then stalked off to the apperation point, followed by all the teenagers. Nym went off to alert the Order.

Fred, George, and Lee followed Madam Bones, Quickly apperating to the Bones house. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny waited for 10 minutes for the order to appear. They could hear arguing, but saw no motion.

"Okay, everyone, this is the way I see it. We could get there to help, but we would need to stay together as a unit. We all fire in the same direction, use all the cover in the area, and stick with a few reliable curses. I would suggest impediment, stunner, reductor, and protego shields. Once all visible targets are down, accio their wands, and do an incarcerous hex. There are two of the D.A. out there, and they need help." Harry quickly laid out an attack plan

The other three readily accepted the plan, and agreed they should go now. Harry asked Fawkes if he could take them there. The phoenix trilled, and hovered in front of the four, who all grabbed a feather, and were phoenix teleported to the site.

A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger, that's just how it turned out. I'll try not to make it a regular thing.


	11. The DA to the Rescue

Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to Harry Potter, and precious little of this plot. This is my first attempt, and I need all the feedback I can get.

They arrived in a copse of trees, out of which they could see a 3-story manor home. Flashes of light indicated the fighting, and the four moved forward cautiously, but quickly. Madam Bones, the twins, and Lee seemed to be pinned down behind a low brick wall, being fired at from the front door of the house. The Death Eaters were using the built up low walls around the entrance stairs as cover. Harry pulled his group around, circling behind their friends, to where they could get an unobstructed view of the entry stairs, where the low walls wouldn't provide cover. On Harry's signal, all four fired impedimentia, stupefy, incarcerous, then accio wands. All return fire stopped, and Harry led his group straight to the house, stowing the 2 wands they received. When they reached the stairs, they stunned the only conscious Death Eater, who had evaded the first two spells, but not the third. Harry stood, and motioned for Fred, George, Amelia, and Lee to come over.

"Why are you lot here? Where is the Order?" Asked an irritated George.

Ginny responded, "They were taking too long, so we came to help out our friends."

Harry spoke up, "Madam Bones, could you lead us through your house? We'll cover your back, while you lead us to where you think Susan and Hannah would be."

Amelia Bones was taken aback, as this 15-year-old boy seemed to have taken charge. "In case of emergency, Susan was told to go to her bedroom, which has extra wards emplaced on it. It's on the second floor, about halfway down the north hallway."

Harry nodded, and then looked at the twins, "Did you bring anything interesting from your shop?"

Both nodded, and George started, "We've just developed stun balls, a rubber ball that will throw off 5 stupefys in random directions when it hits a solid surface."

Fred continued, "We were going to demonstrate them to the Order, but decided to hold off after we heard your speech. We brought 10 of them."

Harry smiled, "Excellent, Madam Bones, what is directly behind these doors?

"The entry hall, an open area, with two sets of stairs. The room is 15 by 15 meters, and has 5 exits. Two halls on each floor run directly away from the two far corners of the room. There is a closet immediately across from this door." Madam Bones reeled off, a veteran of many similar operations.

Harry thought for a minute, and then addressed the group in a whisper. "First, we open the door and stand back, if no one fires at us, I'll stick in an arm and throw a Lumos Maxima. If there is still no return fire, we'll throw in two stun balls, then rush to the closet across the room. Then the twins will throw two more stun balls, on each at the top of each set of stairs. We will all then rush up the north stairs, and we will throw one more ball down the hall, and raise shields. After that, we will proceed down to Susan's bedroom, throwing Colloportus on all the doors we pass. Any Death Eater we disable, we incarcerous, and take their wands. Madam Bones, could you disillusion the Death Eaters we capture? It will make it harder for their friends to find them."

Madam Bones nodded, and they opened the door slightly. Nobody fired. Harry then cast a Lumos Maxima, and three curses impacted on the door. Fred and George each threw in one stun ball, and thuds were heard, as the group rushed in to the entry hall. Hermione dodged fire from her right and above, and the twins threw the balls to the tops of the stairs. Three more Death Eaters had fallen, two at the base of the stairs, one at the top of the south staircase. They were mobilcorpused into a pile, incarceroused, their wands taken, and their bodies disillusioned.

They all rushed up the north stair, and Fred threw another stun ball, which was answered by at least two return hexes, which were fortunately aimed at the ball. Harry then instructed Madam Bones and the twins, along with Lee Jordan, to take the back, locking the doors behind them, while Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and he would continue forward, throwing their now standard barrage. After five volleys, there was no return fire, and they had collected four wands. When they reached Susan's room, they found the four Death Eaters, in various states of disarray. They stunned the one still awake, and made sure all of them were roped.

Madam Bones proceeded to her niece's door, and stated the opening password. The door opened, and two stunners flew out. Madam Bones called out, "It's alright, Susan, its Aunt Amelia, with some of your friends from school."

A quavering voice called back, "How can I be sure?"

Madam ones smiled, "Come, child, who else would give a babe a monocle to suck on, so I could preserve my vision?"

Susan ran forward, and hugged her aunt. "We were so scared, they said they were after you, and once they got you, they'd come after us." She started to cry, " They killed Morris and Giles, they stalled them while we ran for here."

Hannah Abbott walked around the door, and gasped, "Harry! Ron! Hermione! Ginny! How did you get here? What did you do, bring the D.A.? "

Susan disentangled herself from her aunt, and managed to see the waiting students, just as Fawkes appeared in a ball of flame, and landed on Harry's shoulder.

The phoenix trilled, and Harry addressed Madam Bones. "The Order just showed up, they are at the front door. Professor Dumbledore isn't with them."

Madam Bones nodded, "Will Fawkes deliver a letter to whoever is in charge out there?"

Fawkes trilled, and bobbed his head, and Madam Bones got parchment and a quill from her niece, and wrote out two notes detailing the situation.

"Could you give one to the commander of the Order here, and the other to the duty officer at Auror headquarters?" Fawkes nodded, and disappeared in a ball of flame.

Madam Bones sighed with relief, then shook her head. "You know, I'll have to smooth over all the underage use of Magic violations, but, as Director of Magical Law Enforcement, I think I might be able to do that. All of you who are underage, I will make you Auror Auxiliaries. This means, that when you are in the company of an Auror, you can use magic under their direction. I want you to thank you for answering my request to join the Auxiliaries, and we'll clean up the paperwork later." She smiled slightly at the altered rendition of events. "Are we all understood?"

The four teenagers who accompanied her nodded, smiling.

Harry was then nearly bowled over by a worried Nym. "Harry, are you okay? We counted three Death Eaters out there. Why didn't you get me if you were going? I was trying to get the Order to hurry, but they took nearly 45 minutes."

"Don't worry, I'm fine. None of us got hit, not even once." Harry spoke to her shoulder, then Nym, surprising everyone who had not been told, caught Harry in a firm lip lock, before she stepped closer and leaned on him.

Amelia looked Nym in the eye, and raised an eyebrow. Nym blushed a little, and looked away. Harry just sighed. "Madam Bones, Miss Tonks is my fiancé. The circumstances are complicated, but we will marry on my 16th birthday. If you have any objections, I want you to know that this is okay with my guardian. If you still feel you must protest, we will gladly listen to any reasonable discussion."

"Mr. Potter, you've just led a hostage rescue mission, stunned and secured 10 Death Eaters, and brought me to my niece. Through all this, we've taken no casualties, and you quite likely have saved mine and my niece's lives, as well as the life of Miss Abbott. I personally owe you two life debts. If you say there is a good reason you are to marry a woman 6 years older than you, I believe you. Miss Tonks, you will be granted one month honeymoon leave, you've never really taken all your vacation anyway."

Nym smiled and blushed, and muttered a 'thanks'.

Remus and Mad-eye came over to them then, and Moody started, "Director, we're glad to see you're alright. The house is secure, and we found the three you disillusioned by the stair. Dumbledore and the Weasleys will be grateful to you for protecting these kids, but we should realty take them back now."

"Alastor, I'm afraid you are mistaken. I've recruited these students as Auxiliaries, and Mr. Potter planned and led the assault into the house. I think you'd be impressed by their tactics. I am placing Mr. Potter up for a commission as Captain in the Auxiliaries"

Madam Bones sounded affronted.

Moody actually looked abashed. "I meant no disrespect, Director, I was merely relaying a message from Professor Dumbledore."

Amelia looked at Moody, arching an eyebrow. "Where is Albus, by the way? This would be an opportune time for the discussion he wanted, would it not?"

Everyone's attention was drawn over Moody's shoulder, as Dumbledore walked up behind Moody. "Yes, Madam Bones, this would prove to be an excellent time for our discussion. Would you care to adjourn to somewhere more comfortable?"

Amelia nodded, "Yes, Headmaster, let us talk in the dining room. Susan, could you take our guests to the drawing room? I'll have Sofy bring some refreshments." Amelia and Albus walked off with Moody in tow.

Susan, blushing brightly, asked, "Please, follow me, I'll take you to the drawing room, where you can relax a bit." And she lead the teenagers, including Hannah Abbott, as well as Nym and Remus to a set of double doors they passed near the front of the house. After George unlocked the doors, they entered a room comparable in size to the drawing room at Grimauld Place, but much brighter.

Harry sat in a wingback chair, Nym perched on the arm of that chair. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny found a couch, Fred George, and Lee found another. Remus sat on a chase lounge, and Hannah and Susan found two smaller chairs.

"Harry, everyone, we can't thank you enough for saving us. I just wished Morris and Giles would have let us fight. Maybe we could have saved them." Susan broke into tears.

At that moment, Fawkes returned, perched on Harry's shoulder, and sang a soothing song, as Remus went to comfort the distraught girl. Hannah Abbott appeared to be in a daze, until Fawkes' song started, and she started to weep as well.

Harry waited for the girls to calm somewhat, and said, "Both of you are not responsible for what happened to those Aurors. I know you feel guilty, I've been through the same thing. The thing you must remember is they were Aurors, and assigned to protect you. They knew the risks, and succeeded in their job, though it cost them their lives. Honor them for their lives. I know this sounds kind of hollow right now, but when you need to, you can always talk to any of us here, or your aunt. It will take time, but you can get through this."

Harry's friends were stunned, all except Remus and Nym. Hermione spoke up, "Harry, if Nym is responsible for this change, I feel even better about your marriage."

Sofy, the house elf, arrived, with tea and biscuits. Remus asked the elf if she could bring some calming draughts, whereupon she nodded, and quickly disapparated. Shortly the elf returned with the calming draughts, and they were given to Susan and Hannah.

The doors opened to admit Kingsley Shacklebolt, who was there to take everyone's statements. Shortly thereafter, Arthur Weasley entered, and was swarmed by four of his children.

"Your mother was extremely worried when she found out all of you were gone, especially you, Ginny. I'm sure she will try to ground the lot of you, or at least Ron and Ginny. Now what is this that I've heard about Auxiliaries?

Ginny smiled as she clung to her father. " Fred, George, and Lee came here with Madam Bones. We waited for 10 minutes for the order to leave, but nobody came. Harry came up with a plan, and Fawkes agreed to carry us here."

The twins cut in at this point. " We had walked around toward the front door, when we were fired on from the entry stairs." George started.

"We were pinned down for about 10 minutes, and Madame Bones was about to charge their position." Fred continued.

"Suddenly, there was fire from the trees ahead of us, and the Death Eaters on the stairs stopped firing back. We saw four people run up to the stairs, and we ran to find out that they were this lot." Lee completed, waving an arm at the younger teenagers.

Ron spoke up next. "Harry asked the twins if they brought anything from their shop, and they told him about the stun balls. With that, and some information from Madam Bones, he thought up a good plan."

Everyone looked at Harry, who started to grimace slightly. "Nym, I need to meditate, please let them know what that means." Harry then laid his head back, and closed his eyes.

Nym gasped, "How many spells did he cast?"

Hermione looked up and to the right for a second. "We all cast 25 spells, all low power charms. Why?"

Nym looked worried, as Harry slid to the floor and sub-consciously got into lotus position. "Every one better back away from him. Susan, could you please find out if Madam Pomfrey is here?"

Susan nodded, and called for Sofy. As the house elf appeared, Harry's arms lit up like burning magnesium. The bandages on his hands, and the sleeves on his shirt turned to ash and blew away in the unnatural wind that had started to blow.

Fawkes started to sing, and a blue flame trailed off the firebird and went to Harry's left arm, where a phoenix tattoo appeared on his bicep, matching the one in his right bicep. Blue flames sprung forth from the tattoos, and seemed to war with the blinding radiance. As the battle ensued, Harry levitated a meter into the air.

The blue flames slowly overcame the white radiance, and Harry lowered toward the ground as they did. Finally the flames covered his arms, and Harry came to rest on the floor. The flames then extinguished, and Harry keeled over, dislodging Fawkes from his perch, only to be caught by Nym as she rushed toward him.

Harry's eyes flickered open as his head came to rest in Nym's lap. Harry gave one of his lop-sided smiles and said, "Great, now I'm dreaming. At least it's a good dream, the kind I don't want to wake up from."

Nym blushed, and the girls looked at Harry as if he's grown another head. The boys were also staring at him incredulously.

"Harry, you know you're awake, and making us look bad, don't you?" George added in a stage whisper.

"I'm impressed, I never thought you could make Tonks blush. There is hope for you yet, mate" Fred added, raising his eyebrows.

Nym rounded on the twins. "That's enough out of you two. Harry is still not well, and I'm taking him back to headquarters."

With that said, Nym activated a portkey, and was gone.

Madam Bones showed Dumbledore to the dining room, and a house elf brought tea and biscuits. They sat quietly for a moment, observing each other. Dumbledore wore his standard vaguely bemused expression, causing Amelia to scowl.

"Are you aware of what occurred here tonight? Two good men were killed, and it was a close thing for my niece and her friend! How can you sit there looking so blasé?" Amelia's voice held controlled anger.

"This is precisely the reason that I asked you to look us over, and perhaps join the Order. Had you been a member, we could have increased the wards, presented you with more guards, and greatly reduced our reaction time. Surely you can see the benefits, we might have even been able to save those poor Aurors." Dumbledore looked sincerely saddened.

Amelia looked at him carefully. "Tonight I saw nothing to make me believe you and your Order could have helped. All I saw was several of your members mopping up after the crisis was over. All the Death Eaters were neutralized by seven of your students, none of whom are members of your Order. Due to some inventiveness by those red headed twins, and some interesting tactics employed by Mr. Potter, all of us survived. I believe I owe them all life debts.

As a result, I have named them Auror Auxiliaries, and I am giving Mr. Potter a field commission as Auxiliary Captain. Then you send in Master Auror Moody, and come to collect those young adults, as though they were wayward children. Before I join your Order, I'll need proof as to your capabilities."

Dumbledore looked nonplussed. "What would you have us do? It would seem that the danger has passed here, so how do we show you our mettle?"

"One specific way would be to acknowledge the efforts of the children of your members and their friends." Amelia huffed. "Another way would be to show me the communication systems you use. After all, the only way to ensure a quick response is for the information to get to you in time."

Amelia then cocked her head, and asked, "What was it, exactly, that kept you away for 45 minutes? I understand Auror Tonks alerted you of the situation as I was leaving."

"We did not know who or what we were dealing with, nor were we conversant with the layout of your home. We had to decide on our attack plan, determine how many fighters to bring, and don appropriate armor and bring supplies. Mind you, if we had previously been working with you, we would have already known the layout, and could have data from perimeter wards as to the composition of the attacking force. We probably could have reached your home in 10 minutes.

As to your other questions, we use charmed mirrors for communication. They are activated by saying a name, or the name of a group. After the recipient answers, the mirrors act as two-way devices.

I suppose the students here did a good job, however, I do not as yet know the extent of their actions. Needless to say, I am sure you would rather have fully qualified and trained witches and wizards at your disposal." Albus grinned, his eyes twinkling.

Amelia thought for a moment, and addressed the headmaster. "Albus, I see the reasons for your delay, and I understand them. I am, however, slightly dismayed at your lack of urgency in your deliberations. If you were to send a few people here, with those mirrors, couldn't you have gathered the information you sought quicker? Are you only able to defend areas that you have prior knowledge of? Are you even aware of the tactics and weapons that your students used here? I do not lightly handout field commissions, Headmaster, and I feel that Mr. Potter's is well deserved." Madam Bones looked frustrated. "I've never seen a teacher try to diminish the praise of their students so much. Four of them, the four who planned the mission on the fly, were present at the Department of Mysteries, and seemed to have learned a great deal from the experience. I would like them to demonstrate their tactics for the Aurors. I am also going to order several hundred of those stun balls from the Weasleys, and start equipping my men with them immediately. I thought you would know more about this, after all, they arrived by riding with your phoenix. Even after the fight, Fawkes was kind enough to deliver letters for me."

"Madam, I am sorry if I appear unappreciative of my students efforts. I am afraid my pride in their accomplishments is overcome by my fear for their safety." Albus and Amelia both turned to see Arthur Weasley enter the room,

"Headmaster, Harry has had another flare up. Tonks has taken him back to Headquarters, and Fawkes has gone with a note to Madam Pomfrey." Arthur wrung his hands and waited impatiently.

Albus studied the man, and sighed. "Arthur, I think the Aurors can handle the situation here. Why don't you take your children and the others home, I will go to Hogwarts and ensure Madam Pomfrey is dispatched to Mr. Potter." He stood, and extended a hand to Madam Bones.

"Amelia, for the moment, we will share all we know of Death Eater movements with you through Ms. Jones. I hope we can talk soon"

Amelia rose as well and shook his hand. "I look forward to it Albus. Please take care of Mr. Potter, or at least give Miss Tonks the leeway to do so."

Both parties said their goodbyes, sounding polite out of habit.


	12. Dreams and Memories

Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to Harry Potter, and precious little of this plot. This is my first attempt, and I need all the feedback I can get.

Nym and Harry arrived at #12 in the position on which they left, and both slid across the floor and into the wall.

Molly Weasley and Madam Pomfrey were waiting in the entry hall, and helped Nym to her feet, and Madam Pomfrey mobilicorpused Harry.

"What's happened to him? Was he hit? How are the others?" Molly's rapid-fire questions were cut off by Nym.

"There's been another breakdown in the binding spell, but Fawkes seemed to do something with a blue flame to help. Everyone else is just fine. Madam Bones recruited Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Harry as Auror Auxiliaries. I'm sure they will tell you all about it when they get back. In the meantime, I think we should get this one to bed, and have Madam Pomfrey here look him over." Nym was in complete Auror mode.

Harry's head swiveled, and his eyes fluttered open. His eyes were out of focus, and his voice came out as if he were drunk. "I only want you to look me over, Nym. This dream is going too well to change it now." He paused and focused for a second on Molly. "Hi Mrs. Weasley, don't be mad at us, Fawkes said it was okay to go. He is a really nice bird, I kind of wonder why he didn't talk to me before? Sorry, I gotta go now, Nym is going to take me to bed." He then blushed near a Weasley red. "I mean put me in bed. Good night." Harry's eyes closed, leaving Nym blushing and Molly stunned.

"Enough, I need to get him to his room, Miss Tonks, if you would assist?" Madam Pomfrey huffed, and set off up the stairs.

Less than 15 minutes later, Nearly the entire Weasley family portkeyed into the entry hall, and Molly ran to embrace them all. Then she assumed a stern look.

"Fred and George, I thought you said you didn't want to join the Order! What do you think you were doing, going off like that, without waiting for help? I thought you weren't going to be doing these dangerous things." Molly glared at the twins, waiting for an answer.

Fred began, "Well, mum, Madam Bones wasn't going to wait, and we couldn't let her go alone."

George continued, "We needed to get there as soon as possible, her niece and Hannah Abbott, who were both in the D.A. last year, were there. We protect our own."

Fred concluded, "Really, we're legal now, why are you ranting at us?"

Molly turned to her two youngest, and Hermione. "What do you have to say for yourselves, you three? How did you even get there?"

Hermione spoke up. "Fawkes took us there, Mrs. Weasley. Harry came up with a brilliant plan, and he asked Fawkes to take us."

Ginny looked at her, eyes wide and innocent, "It couldn't have been wrong if it was okay with a phoenix, could it, mum?"

"Save that look for your father, young lady. If Fawkes took you there, I shall have to speak to Dumbledore. For now, lets get some rest. And we'll talk more tomorrow." Molly shook a finger at her daughter.

"Mrs. Weasley." Hermione asked, "Where's Harry, and how is he?"

Molly frowned. "Madam Pomfrey and Tonks took him up to his room. If I didn't know better, I'd say he was drunk."

The twins stage whispered, "Yeah, on Tonks". All the teens giggled, and Bill and Arthur smiled. Then all proceeded up to their rooms.

Madam Pomfrey wore a puzzled expression as she ran her wand over Harry. All of his pervious burns were completely healed. He had somehow acquired two magical tattoos, one on the inside of each bicep, of a blue phoenix. The magic from these tattoos seemed to have a temperature regulation effect, but his temperature was still 38 degrees. However, all the other problems associated with a fever were not present. He also had an invisible aura surrounding his entire body out to 10cm. Too many things were effecting the boy, and she was afraid to add to the list. He was sleeping peacefully now.

"Miss Tonks, he is resting comfortably now, but there is too much magic affecting him now for me to feel safe in trying to correct his slight fever. I don't think he should be left alone, as his condition should be monitored."

Nym thought briefly, "Dobby." She called.

The elf appeared. "What can Dobby do for Miss Nym?"

Nym smiled, "Could you set up a room for Madam Pomfrey? She needs to stay tonight, in case there is a change in Harry's condition"

"Dobby is happy to do that for Ma'am Pomfey. Dobby will put you right next door."

Nym looked confused, as the only next-door room on this floor was hers, the master suite had the only bedrooms on the floor. Dobby noticed her confusion smiled and said, "Professor Dumbledore's Fawkes moved Harry Potter's Tonks' things into this room tonight, and Dobby is put them away"

Madam Pomfrey raised an eyebrow, and Nym blushed, saying. "Don't look at me, ask that ruddy bird."

She could almost swear the old medi-witch was holding back a smile as she left. After the doors closed, Nym went to a wardrobe she now recognized, opened it, and got out a large t-shirt to sleep in, shaking her head. She then removed all her clothing except her knickers, slipped on the t-shirt, and climbed into the large bed next to Harry. Her last thought as she went to sleep was 'ruddy bird'.

Harry kicked open the door, as his arms were full of Nym, and laid her gently on the bed. Both wore their dress robes, as they just came from their wedding. Harry pulled his wand, and covered the walls, floor, and ceiling with silence and imperturbable charms. Nym kicked off her shoes, and watched impatiently.

"All secure Harry?" Nym asked while giggling. At Harry's nod, she smiled, "Good, now come over here and unwrap your present!"

Harry grinned, kicked off his shoes, literally ripped off his tie, and crossed the room to the spacious bed. Sitting next to Nym, Harry studied the dress robe, and started to run his hands over it, saying, "Now, let's see how this thing works." This elicited a giggle and short shriek from Nym as he tickled her, as his hands eventually found the appropriate clasps, slowly exposing interesting parts of her anatomy. Much to Harry's surprise, part of the top of the robes acted as a built in bra, revealing her breasts sooner than he expected. He started to lightly kiss around the perimeter of each breast, slowly working his way toward the center. He lightly traced around each areola before gently kissing the nipples, causing Nym to moan and shudder. After 10 minutes of kissing, licking, and sucking, while his hands were roving over and under her robes, Nym growled, and grabbed her wand "Enough of that, Evanesco, Evanesco." and vanished their clothes.

Nym grabbed Harry's head with both hands, and pulled him up into a feverish kiss. Skillfully, she put her left arm around his torso, and locked her left leg around him. Shifting her body, she rolled him over her until she was lying on top of him

"Now I can have my wicked way with you." Nym laughed as she flattened her body on top of him. Harry's mind had locked up at the incredible sights and feelings of the full frontal skin to skin contact. Nym slid her body down Harry's, and stopped, wide-eyed, as she came into contact with his member.

"Dear lord, Harry!" Nym chuckled as she got up to look at him. "I might have to morph to accommodate that!" She placed a forearm on his chest, and grabbed his member, carefully guiding it into her. After he was fully inserted, she first began to rock her hips. Next, using her legs as springs, she began to bounce up and down. Instinctively, Harry started to time his thrusts to match her movement, and both started to moan in pleasure. Both felt the pressure build, and Harry's release triggered Nym's.

Suddenly, Harry woke up. The dream was so intense he had to clean himself up. As he went to get up, he found Nym was lying on top of him, her head nestled on his shoulder, her legs straddling him. There was no way he could get up without waking her, so he wandlessly cast Lavage and Scourgify to clean himself up. Apparently the spell affected Nym as well, as she gasped, and her body tensed as the Lavage spell was cast, and she smiled contentedly in her sleep.

Harry smiled as he watched Nym, noting her hair changing color periodically, no doubt induced by her dreams. She looked so happy, and Harry wondered if she was having dreams similar to his own. Her face flushed, and she gasped about three times, whining happily the last time, then the smile returned, and her eyes fluttered open.

Nym smiled down at Harry, and crawled forward to kiss him. When their lips touched, the magic flowed stronger than before, and she orgasmed twice before she could break contact. Suddenly she became aware that she was wearing knickers and a t-shirt, and Harry was wearing his pajamas. The reality of the situation came back to her, and she blushed, and started to sputter an explanation.

Harry put a finger on her lips gently, "Don't apologize or make any excuses, I'm sure my dream was similar. I just hope whatever dreamt you had that made you that happy, and that it involved me somewhere. I just hope I'll be able to make you that happy someday"

"Well, Mister, I'd say job accomplished, as I was dreaming of you. Let me get cleaned up, and we'll talk about it." Nym smiled and started to get up, when Harry wrapped his arms around her tightly, and whispered to her.

"Please don't go, I'll take care of it," and he whispered 'Lavage'.

Nym gasped and bit her lower lip, as she felt herself cleaned, as though by a soft warm cloth, and gently dried.

"Merlin, Harry, that felt nice! Now I have to calm down as not to ruin your work."

Nym crawled down off of Harry, snuggling up next to his side, her head resting on his shoulder. Briefly glancing at the window, she noticed it was still dark outside.

"How are you feeling, Harry? You were kind of out of it when I brought you back here."

Harry jumped slightly, trying to think of anything else beside the woman lying next to him. He seemed to remember, and adopted a worried expression.

"I was acting kind of funny, wasn't I? I thought I was dreaming! Did I actually say those things to you? To Mrs. Weasley? I can only imagine what they must think of me!"

Nym smiled. "I wouldn't worry about it, Harry. The only people liable to give you grief over it are the twins, and Ginny and I can control them when needed."

Looking over at the dresser, Nym read the small, torsion pendulum clock.

"Come on, Harry, go back to sleep. It's only 4:30 in the morning, and I need my sleep. After that dream, I don't think I'll have any problems falling asleep"

Harry turned to look at her. "Not that I'm complaining, in fact, I can't think of a nicer way to wake up, but why are you in my bed? You said nothing of moving in here yet. Don't get me wrong. I'm very happy you're here, just a little confused."

Nym laughed. "I guess you should talk to Fawkes if you want to know about the timing. He moved my stuff in here sometime tonight. Dobby set Madam Pomfrey up in the other bedroom in the suite. She's staying over night just in case you take a turn for the worse. You are running a constant low-grade fever, but you don't seem to have any ill effects from it. Now shush, we'll talk later this morning, hopefully at least 9:00."

Nym nuzzled back into Harry's shoulder and closed her eyes. Harry smiled and kissed her forehead, and she seemed to mold herself to his side.

"'Night Nym." He whispered, as he laid back and closed his eyes. He didn't say, but thought 'I love you'"

As Harry drifted off to sleep, he felt himself go deeper than he could ever recall. He seemed to be falling gently through the mists, when they abruptly cleared, and he found himself sitting on his bed, alone. Looking around, he was stunned to see Fawkes sitting on his special phoenix perch, about a meter away from the bed's footboard. Realizing this was another dream; he asked Fawkes why he was there. Much to his surprise, the phoenix answered.

"I came here to start your tutelage, fledgling. After you bond with your mate, many new abilities will be unleashed. No human still alive knows the way to teach control for some of these abilities, nor their usage. Of all who still live, only your fellow phoenix-friend, Nicholas Flamel, would have an idea as to how to instruct you, as he was a student of Merlin's last disciple, if only through his books.

Harry tried to come to grips with the situation.

"You mean this is not a dream? Is it another vision?" Harry asked, wondering if his loss of magical control was affecting his mind.

"Fear not, fledgling, your mind is still your own." Fawkes seemed to speak in a voice somewhere between Mooney's kind explanation voice, and Dumbledore's grandfather voice.

"As to whether or not this a dream, the answer is undoubtedly yes. However, it should also be known that this meeting, along with the knowledge passed along during it, are undoubtedly real." Harry noticed that Fawkes did not open his beak once throughout everything he 'said'.

Seeing Harry's confusion, Fawkes let out a calming trill, and continued.

"We are in a place which mirrors the real world, but where time and space are mutable, as they once were in the real world. This place is known by many names, The Dreamlands, Dreamtime, Underhill, the Astral Plane, and many others. You are here now, because one of the abilities that have been unblocked is that called Oniermancy, or Dream magic. As an Oniermancer, you can easily travel here, as can many magical creatures. Phoenixes exist both here and in reality at the same time, since we are Incarna, the embodiment of an ideal."

Harry felt like he should be taking notes. It felt like a class where History of Magic, Magical Theory, and Care of Magical Creatures was combined. Fawkes went through exercises that would allow Harry to get in and out of the Dreamlands, even while awake. He also explained that he did not kill Bellatrix outright, that the attack fooled her mind into inflicting the damage that killed her. The phoenix then explained the training schedule.

"We will train like this for a subjective two hours every other night, as the time spent here will take away from your rest. You might also try to stay out of your mate's dreams, as this will also interrupt your rest. Should you find yourself in your mate's dream, use the techniques for leaving the Dreamlands to exit. If you wish to speak with me while awake, simply use the consciousness shifting technique, and we can speak as we are now. Good night, fledgling."

With this pronouncement, Harry felt his awareness leave the Dreamlands, and an untroubled sleep resumed.

The day following the Order meeting, Albus awoke with a headache already forming. The events of the previous evening were causing worse repercussions than he had thought possible. With the notable exception of Professor Snape, it seemed the entirety of the Order below age 40, and some of those older, were at least feeling reservations about their involvement.

Looking back, he had to admit that Harry was eloquent and mature last night. His use of power to resolve conflict reminded him of himself during the Grindlewald campaign.

Perhaps he should have invited Harry back into the proceedings to speed their reaction to the Bones residence. Despite his arguments to the contrary, Amelia was justified in her anger at their slow response. There was a time when he would have personally gone to help the moment he knew there was an attack. Now he was trying to juggle responsibilities. He felt like he had 10 balls in the air, and this summer, someone had thrown three more at him. It seemed certain he would drop at least one, but he had to keep as many up as possible, in order to avoid disaster.

His perimeter ward triggered, and he greeted Minerva as she entered his office. His head started to throb at her look of consternation.

"What seems to be the problem, Minerva?" Albus asked with a sigh.

"Frankly, Albus, there were many things last night that bothered me. Why were we not informed as to the reasons for Harry's marriage? I realize that I hold no authority over the boy out of school, but I still try to protect my students at all times.

Last night, I spoke with Filius. He was glad that Harry found a way around the charms; because he truly believed that it was unlikely they would figure out how to undo them before the situation became fatal. Had all of us been aware of these facts, I don't think any of us would have objected."

Albus looked at his deputy, and felt he had to drop his façade.

"Indeed, Minerva, you are no doubt correct. The events of this summer have left me scrambling to try to hold on to what I can. I was feeling Harry and Nymphadora slipping away, annoyed that their solution, though elegant, would cause them to further distance themselves from me. I suspected that Voldemort was not gone forever, and I made plans as to how we could win this time, with minimal casualties. Events with precise deadlines have overtaken those plans this summer. I feel I have not coped with those events as best as I could have."

Minerva relaxed by the end of his confession, and her lips twitched into her typical subdued smile.

"Thank you, for that must have hurt. While I can understand what you did, and the reasons for it, I think you may want to beware a self fulfilling prophesy."

Minerva then stood, and left with her usual, "Good day, Albus."

The Headmaster sat back to contemplate last night, and the last few weeks. He wished Fawkes were there. The phoenix had been his companion for half his life. He walked over to his cabinet, and withdrew his pensieve, and put several memories from the past month into it, hoping to understand what happened.

He watched his duel with Voldemort, and Harry's possession. He felt triumphant at the boy's victory over Tom, forcing him out. He watched Harry's reaction to being held against his will, and his reaction to the Prophesy. In hindsight, perhaps the timing in telling the boy of the Prophesy was ill advised.

Next came the confrontations with Miss Tonks, whom he now could see he had greatly underestimated. After the will was read, her objections and logical arguing points proved that she was a true Ravenclaw.

Then came that night when Harry's magic went out of control, the sheer power the boy showed, frankly, scared the Headmaster. On reviewing the memory, he was surprised that the incident made him think of Riddle, and that was what caused the fear. Another surprise was, only upon this review, did he realize how much pain, both emotional and physical, Harry was in.

He also looked at Fawkes actions, and apparent abandonment. Why did Fawkes leave? Could he be doing something the phoenix doesn't approve of? Albus removed his mind from the pensieve, and called for Fawkes, asking why he left.

Harry awoke to the crooning of a phoenix. He looked through the haze of golden red hair at Fawkes, as Nym also stirred. At some time during the night, Harry had spooned behind Nym, and she flipped over to look at him.

"Wotcher, Harry?" she asked with a smile. She then did a double take at the foot of the bed, where Fawkes sat on his special perch.

"Morning, Nym. How are you feeling?" Harry smiled at the nonplussed witch.

"Good morning to you as well, Fawkes. What can I do for you today?" He smiled at the bird, and used the shifting technique to listen to him.

"Fledgling, I see you remember well, this is good. As to my needs, I wish for you and your mate to put memories into a pensieve, ones that will show my bonded that he has strayed from the path of light. He is calling for me, and I feel he may be ready to see the error of his ways"

Fawkes then disappeared in a flash of flame, only to reappear a moment later in Dumbledore's office. Before the Headmaster could say anything to Fawkes, he had latched onto the pensieve with his talons, and disappeared again. He reappeared over Harry and Nym, and dropped the stone bowl into Harry's hands.

Nym raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Apparently things have changed since I last woke up. What precisely are we supposed to do with that pensieve?"

"Fawkes wants us to put our memories of Dumbledore being…" Harry paused, looking for the word.

Nym supplied, "Obtuse? Insensitive? Manipulative?"

Harry held up his hand, motioning for her to stop. "Well, yes, that about sums it up."

Nym smiled, then arched an eyebrow. "How do you know that is what Fawkes wants? You said last night that he spoke to you. Can you understand him?"

Harry proceeded to explain last night's training session. Nym seemed to take the news in stride, and both put several memories into the pensieve. When they were done, Harry spoke to Fawkes.

"Here, we put in all the recent memories that would show him how he was acting"

Fawkes nodded, flew over to the pensieve, and disappeared in a burst of flame.


	13. A New Teacher

Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to Harry Potter, and precious little of this plot. This is my first attempt, and I need all the feedback I can get. Sorry for the delay, Real Life caught up with me.

He awoke to a throbbing headache. The only thing that could be considered fortunate was that the pain was less today than it had been last night. Apparently that foul child had found a new mental attack form.

Possessing the boy was, in hindsight, a bad move. It had dangerously depleted his reserves, and nearly cost him his brand new body. In order to recuperate his reserves, he had adopted the mental attacks to keep the boy from a full nights sleep, while ordering his Death Eaters to strike high ranking Ministry of Magic officials, at least those not on his payroll.

All had gone well with the first strike. Rufus Scrimgeour was his prisoner, and Amycus acting in his stead, through Polyjuice. After taking the Chief Auror, several addresses were acquired, and two Wisengamot members were taken.

Then, the Potter boy found a new type of mental defense, and damaged his still recovering magics. In his anger, he tried to strike again, only to lose his most loyal servant. The damage from that encounter left him weak, so weak, he allowed the attack on Amelia Bones to happen without supervision. The woman only had two guards, and the attack was timed so that there were two children present. It should have been easy for 10 Death Eaters, but none had returned.

Losing 21 Death Eaters in one month calls for a re-evaluation of his plans. He didn't know what the boy has been doing for the past 12 hours, but it felt as if the link was pulling at his soul, which was the cause of this miserable headache.

He decided to lay low for a while, wait and see how much information Amycus could get from the Ministry. In the mean time, He felt he should call Severus for a headache potion.

Harry was judged to be well, under the circumstances. Madam Pomfrey resorted to aspirin to try to reduce Harry's fever, but it did no good. He still showed no adverse effects due to the higher temperature. On the contrary, Harry claimed he felt energized.

After the further breakdown of the block that night, and subsequent marking by Fawkes, Madam Pomfrey discovered Harry was now six feet tall, though only 10 and a half stone. He had grown four inches in one month, and put on nearly two stone. The frustrated head of Hogwarts' infirmary continued to pay weekly visits to Headquarters to check up on Harry.

Professor Dumbledore seemed to go into seclusion, only appearing at Headquarters once a week, and leaving quickly after discussing Order business. He was polite to Harry, Nym, and Remus, but not warm or sociable. The Headmaster, however, brooked no nonsense in Order meetings anymore. Any outburst by anyone, even Snape, was handled ruthlessly. Gone was the kindly old man, the general had returned.

Harry continued to train in the Dreamlands, as well as learning ancient runes and Arithmancy from Nym and Remus. Harry had also shared his bed with Nym since that night. Due to the effects of his magic, however, nothing much beyond snogging occurred.

On the 28th of July, the Weasleys relocated to Grimauld Place, at least those who still lived at the Burrow. Hermione was also back from her vacation in Italy, and had also moved into Headquarters, where Harry insisted she get her own room, just as now Ron had the room he and Harry used to share all to himself. This left Ginny with a room to herself as well.

Harry awoke early on the morning of the 29th, even earlier than usual. Fawkes had only visited with him last night, and told him he would be taught by another phoenix from now on, as Fawkes now was needed to work with 'his bonded'. So, instead of training for two subjective hours, he only visited for 10 subjective minutes. Harry awoke at 4:30 am, fully refreshed and alert, so he disentangled himself from Nym, showered and changed, and was down in the kitchen by 5:15.

Mrs. Weasley greeted him as he entered.

"Good morning, Harry. What are you doing up so early? It's the weekend, and I've only just started with breakfast. Are you alright?" Molly fussed over him, causing him to smile.

"I'm fine, Molly, I just had a quieter night than normal." Seeing Molly's raised eyebrow, Harry blushed, and tried to cover.

"Would you like some help? Here, let me set the table, and maybe make toast."

"Thank you, Harry, that would be nice. Could you set 10 places, and make 20 slices of toast? There's a dear." Molly smiled while bustling around the kitchen.

Shortly after the table was set, Arthur Weasley entered the kitchen, and started to engage Harry and Molly in small talk.

Suddenly Harry sensed something, like the pressure in the room increased. Almost instantly, his wand was in his hand, and he had activated his dream-awareness. He noticed the flame that denotes a phoenix coming toward him, and felt a mental probe. His occulmency shields strengthened to meet the probe, as a flash of fire signaled the arrival of the phoenix to Molly and Arthur. All Harry was able to observe was this was not Fawkes, as the bird latched on to his shoulder, and flame transported Harry away.

They appeared in a well-appointed circular room, which looked to be some 15 meters in diameter. Further observation was cut short by the dream-speak voice of the phoenix.

"Not bad, fledgling, not bad at all. However, you should have stopped me from transporting you." The phoenix spoke with a woman's voice, a soothing contralto. She was bigger than Fawkes, with a 2-meter wingspan. Her coloring ranged from a dark red on the body, to a light yellow on the trailing edges of her wings.

"Fawkes never taught humans before, so he went slow with you. I, however, am a human specialist, at least the way phoenixes see it, and I'll speed up the training. You are in for a very exciting time when that block is gone. Every stray thought could result in an action. I must train both you and your mate to begin to handle the consequences of your circumstances. We only have three days to set the groundwork, and I'll need you at least 8 hours a day. Since I need to train your mate as well, our time will have to be while you are awake. Obviously, the first thing you must learn is how to bring other people into dream-awareness while awake."

Harry looked at the phoenix, stunned. Calming himself, and sorting through all of his questions, he went for the easiest first.

"Before anything else, could you tell me your name? Next, could you tell me where we are?" As Harry controlled himself, remaining calm while asking these questions. He felt his magic flux, and his temperature rise.

Much to Harry's surprise, he heard the phoenix chuckle. "Well done, Harry, keep it under control. To answer your questions, I am Aurora, and we are in the tower of Merlin Ambrosius, on the 4th level. I trained him in this very room. Of course he was well into his forties by the time I trained him in wandless magic.

But, I stray from the topic, and should assess your training so far. Will you allow me to enter your mind?"

Harry studied the phoenix. After careful scrutiny, he verified Aurora was indeed a phoenix, though she seemed different than Fawkes, and more than could be explained by just being female.

"I'll allow you into my mind, if you tell me what you were before you became a phoenix, or what else you are, besides a phoenix."

After working with Fawkes for a month, Harry felt he understood phoenix body language pretty well, but he had never seen the sunbird do a very human double take, beak agape.

"I'll tell you just to learn how you could tell. I was a human myself, originally. Being born a witch over 3000 years ago was full of dangers. I joined the Cult of the Sun, and advanced to the rank of High Priestess. We viewed phoenixes as messengers of the gods, and protected them after burning days, as well as their eggs. A phoenix would clutch once every 20 years, and leave the 5 eggs with the Temple.

After the clutch was left to us when I was High Priestess, we were attacked by Followers of the Wyrm, who wanted to destroy the eggs. In protecting the eggs, I should have been killed. I was struck by a curse similar to the one you survived. One of the eggs broke, and the hatchling phoenix took my soul into its body, and I was then able to remove the eggs to a place of safety. My soul merged with the phoenix, and we took the name Aurora.

My merging, in fact, was the last incident of that phenomenon, as it precipitated the phoenixes to stop the practice of having humans guarding their eggs. In the intervening years, only 6 clutches have been laid, the last was the year Hogwarts was founded. The clutch had 4 eggs, one per founder of the school. Fawkes comes from that hatching, and he imprinted on Godric Gryffindor.

But we can get into the specifics later, as we have much to do, and little time. Now, may I look into your mind?"

Harry's mind was reeling. For the first time in quite a while, he was getting straight answers. He smiled at Aurora, and answered.

"Sure, what ever you need, as long as you ask."

He immediately felt a light touch in his mind, and saw it quickly assess all Fawkes had trained him. Dream speech, both while asleep and awake. Viewing the dream realm while asleep and awake. Even blocking dreams, entering another's dream, and manipulating the dream world were now in his repertoire.

Aurora gave the impression of a smile, as her dream-voice sounded approving.

"Good, you have come far. You only need to learn 3 things before the block is removed. First, you need to learn how to draw a waking individual into your dream-perceptive state. Secondly, you must learn how to channel excess magic into the dream realm. Finally, I will teach you how to transport yourself physically through the dream realm, much like phoenixes do when appearing or disappearing in a burst of flame. Do you know if your mate is awake?"

Harry's eyes unfocused, as he felt for Nym mentally, and his dream-awareness sped away to Grimmauld Place, where he was able to see her in the Dreamlands. Fighting a blush, he saw that her dream involved him again, and in a most intimate manner. He heard Aurora chuckle and spun around to face the phoenix.

"You can see she's still asleep, why don't we give her a few hours to get up?" Harry asked, desperately embarrassed, trying to block Aurora's view of the bed.

"Sorry, Fledgling, we need all the time we can get. I'll teach you dream transport now, so you can wake her up.

First, I'll tell you of the ancient Egyptian concept of the soul, which will allow us to use less unwieldy words like all those dream-hyphenated words.

They believed there were many parts to the soul, each with it's own purpose. We're only interested with a few of these right now. The parts that most align with our dream consciousness are the Sahu, or the idealistic portion, and the Ba, the traveler. If you look carefully, you can see a silvery cord, connecting your Ba to your physical body. This cord is known as the Khu. The part that watches over your body while the Ba and Sahu roam is the Ka. Your magic is called Sekhem.

Now, I want you to concentrate on the room you see here, and project your Ba out of the Dreamlands, back to the normal world. It will feel similar to using dream-sight, which is merely shifting a portion of your consciousness to your Ba, and projecting it into the Dreamlands."

Harry went through the centering and focusing procedure he'd been taught, and pushed out. It felt like he was floating, then suddenly felt a solid floor, and he could now see Nym sleeping, smiling between soft moans. Harry looked behind him, and saw Aurora had followed.

"Very good, Harry. If your mate learns this fast, we just might make it. Now, concentrate on being here, anchor yourself to anything or anyone in the room. When you feel firmly anchored, mentally pull on the Khu, and reel your body in."

Of course, Harry anchored himself to Nym, then did as he was told. Once again he felt the blur of rapid movement, ending in a flash and a thunderous crash.

Nym seemed to levitate off the bed, as all her muscles tensed, when she hit the bed she rolled, grabbing her wand, and fired off three stunners in random directions. Harry hit the deck, dodging one stunner, and noticed the smell of burnt wood and ozone. Seconds later, the flash of Aurora appearing drew another stunner, which seemed to glance off the phoenix, and scorch the wall.

Nym stared at the bird for a moment before she recognized it was a phoenix, and for another moment to realize that it was not Fawkes. Suddenly, she snapped fully awake, and called out hopefully, "Harry? Are you okay?"

The phoenix trilled, and she heard Harry from the other side of the bed.

"I'm just fine. I'm going to get up now, so please don't shoot." Harry couldn't help grumbling about smart-alec songbirds, as he could hear Aurora laugh.

"Well, I should have guessed. The wizards that I've trained previously always appeared like a phoenix, in a burst of flame. You, my boy, are the first one I know of to appear with a bolt of lightning!" The phoenix sounded quite amused.

As Harry got up, he stared down Nym's wand for a second before she recognized him. She immediately jumped the bed, placing one hand on Harry, while scanning the room. After satisfying herself that the room was clear, she hugged Harry, then stood back to look him over.

"You sure you're alright? What was that blast? Whose phoenix is that?" Nym seemed to have taken lessons in questioning from Hermione.

Harry returned Nym's hug. "I know I'm often mistaken, but I'm really okay, except for the ringing in my ears. That blast was a side effect of me traveling the way phoenixes do. Apparently, instead of a burst of flame, I appear with a bolt of lightning. As for your last question, she isn't anyone's, as far as I know. Her name is Aurora, and she is here to teach both of us."

"How am I supposed to understand what a phoenix says? Will you have to translate for me?" Nym asked as she looked, alternately, at Harry and Aurora.

"Supposedly, she is going to tell me that right now." Harry then switched speech modes. "So, how do I do this?"

"Reach for your mate with your Ba, until you feel resistance, then gently pull her Ba out. Pull slowly at first, and be very careful, her Khu is very fragile compared to yours."

Harry proceeded to gently pull Nym's Ba into the Dreamlands, and noted that the silver cord of the Khu seemed very thin, nearly a fifth the diameter of his own. Once her Ba was clear of her physical body, Nym gasped.

"Harry, your aura is visible! The magic in this room is visible! Do you know what kind of an edge this could give you in a duel?" Nym exclaimed with glee.

"Yes, Miss Nym, that is one of the many things I'll be teaching Harry. Perhaps I can teach that to you as well?" Aurora paused, to allow Nym to adjust to talking to a phoenix.

"What were you planning on teaching me?" Nym sounded exited.

"Well, I must teach you how to redirect the flows of your mate's magic, else I fear for the safety of this room, and perhaps the entire house." Aurora studied Nym carefully. "It is good you are a Metamorphmagus. I will also teach you a charm that will allow you to choose when you wish to produce fledglings, for without the charm, your mate's magic awakening on the night of your bonding would surely impregnate you, despite the potions you take."

Nym's eyes widened, so shaken all she could do was nod vigorously.

Aurora proved to be a knowledgeable, stern teacher, reminiscent of Professor McGonagall. Harry had to practice channeling magic into the Dreamlands, and to do it without thinking about it whenever Nym was touching him. Nym, on the other hand, was used to moving her own magic around. Her difficulty was learning to pull the magic out of Harry's aura, then redirecting it back into him. At the end of 5 hours, Harry's channeling would start at will, and hold, if he wasn't too distracted. Nym was having trouble channeling the magic back into Harry, as well as the sheer amount of magic that was going through her. All in all, both were tired and ravenous by the time the went to leave the room for lunch.

Upon opening the double doors, they were greeted by the sight of Hermione, Ginny, Ron, Remus, and Mr. Weasley camped out in the sitting room. Almost as one, everyone in the room exclaimed, "Harry!", at which point they each broke into five different series of questions and exclamations.

The multiple outbursts were cut off abruptly by Aurora's song, as the phoenix flew into the room and perched on the back of the couch. Harry smiled, and addressed the now silent crowd.

"Thank you, Aurora. Everyone, this is Aurora, and she will be here for the foreseeable future, teaching Nym and myself how to deal with my new magical problems. We have been practicing for 5 hours now, and could use some food, so could we talk on the way to the kitchen?" Harry gestured with a hand toward the doors leading out, and they opened wide. Harry and Nym walked out, hand in hand. The others stared at the doorway for a moment, until they realized their quarry had gone, whereupon, as one, they quickly followed.

Lunch was a raucous affair, everyone was relieved that Harry was okay, and happy that he seemed so carefree. Molly spent half the meal deep in conference with Nym, Ginny, and a reluctant Hermione, discussing the wedding. Harry was pulled aside by Arthur, who informed him that he should put aside time on Sunday night for his bachelor party. Harry said he'd try, but it was up to Aurora.

After lunch, Harry and Nym were closeted again for nearly five hours, until Harry's channeling became reflexive. At this point, Nym found it much easier to redirect Harry's magic.

Aurora was so pleased, that she decided to teach Nym how to enter the Dreamlands on her own. Since she was not a born Oniermancer, the process was longer, and more complex, than it was for Harry.

She also taught Harry how to lessen the impact of his dream travel, so he only made a flash, as much noise as someone normally apperating.

The couple, exhausted but happy, returned to the kitchen slightly after 18:00, when the rest of the house was just finishing dinner. Molly had made enough to feed an army, as usual, so there was enough for both left, even with Ron eating his fill.

As dinner was finishing, Aurora flew into the kitchen, and told Harry that they could rest after dinner, so long as they practiced for an hour before going to bed.

Harry played a couple of games of chess with Ron, then spent nearly two hours talking Arithmancy and Ancient Runes with a delighted Hermione, who produced her notes from her previous years classes.

Nym talked and giggled with Ginny while Harry was playing chess, then she took over when Harry moved to Hermione. Nym showed why she was a Ravenclaw, winning one game, and closely losing the next. Ron tried to talk her into another game, but it was slightly after 21:00, and Nym begged off, pointing out that she and Harry needed to practice before going to sleep.

After entering their rooms, Nym suggested practicing their channeling in bed, kind of a dress rehearsal (or undress, as the case may be) of their wedding night. Surprisingly enough, Nym found it easier to siphon Harry's excess magic when in intimate contact.

Harry, on the other hand, was afraid of radiating too much magic for Nym to handle. After a few false starts, and enough wild magic flying around the room to make it look like Peeves' playground, they discovered that, if Nym was completely inside Harry's aura, she could easily counter any spikes in his aura. Nym also practiced her astral projection, with Harry keeping a close eye on her for safety. Since their practice involved snogging, they didn't get to sleep until after midnight.


	14. Last Minute Preparations

Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to Harry Potter, and precious little of this plot. This is my first attempt, and I need all the feedback I can get.

A/N) Apparently, not all the punctuation I try to use seems to translate well on to the website. I will try to write Astral speech in Italic. Thanks for all your reviews.

Harry awoke at 7:00, after realizing he was once again in Nym's dreams. At times, their dreams were so close to each other in content, it was hard to tell them apart. Harry just lay there, gazing at Nym. It was hard to believe that they would be married tomorrow. What did this beautiful, intelligent woman see in him? As far as he could determine, every time he had faced Voldemort, he'd been lucky. He vowed now that, when the next meeting occurred, his survival would not depend on luck, but skill and determination

Finally, Harry disentangled himself from Nym, and went through his morning routine. After showering and changing, he stopped by the bed, and kissed Nym on the forehead, before he headed out of the room in search of breakfast.

Aurora was waiting in the sitting room of the suite, and Harry shifted to Astral speech.

"Good morning, Aurora. What's the agenda for today?"

"Greetings, fledgling. Today we will lay the framework to contain your aura. I will wait here for you while you eat. Do not take too long, though, as the process is time consuming." Aurora spoke Astrally while trilling a song of encouragement.

Harry then proceeded to the kitchen, where he was greeted by Remus, Mr. And Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, and Hermione. After returning their greetings, Hermione handed him the Sunday Prophet.

"Harry, you should take a look at this."

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FUDGE ON THE BRINK

Vote of 'No Confidence' Looms

By Richard Darcy

Tomorrow's meeting of the Wisengamot may possibly go down in history. No sitting Minister has lost his post during wartime, and only one Minister has been voted out outside regular voting cycles. Not since Minister Niall Winter, who attempted to aid in the Gunpowder Rebellion in 1605, has a sitting Minister of Magic come under such scrutiny.

Since the appearance of You-Know-Who in the Ministry building itself on June 10th, there have been rumblings in the Wisengamot. Throughout June, Albus Dumbledore, Chief Warlock, had steered any discussions of such a vote toward a later time, sighting more urgent matters. At the last meeting, however, the Chief Warlock took a much less active role in the discussions, allowing the rest of the body to move toward the vote.

A call for the vote is expected at the next meeting on July 31, led by it's most vocal proponent, Amos Diggory, who reportedly lost his son when You-Know-Who reappeared last year, nearly a full year before Fudge acknowledged his reappearance. In an impassioned speech, Mr. Diggory was quoted as saying.

"… Why is it that we sit here, debating standards on cauldron bottom thickness and attempting to intrude on Hogwarts operations? The Minister knew that monster had returned a year ago, and the only thing he did was try to kill the messenger. Rather than take the appropriate action, and place the Ministry on a war footing, out illustrious Minister assigned a lackey to control Hogwarts, hoping to silence the only two people who were willing to risk their lives to let the truth out."

Mr. Diggory continued on in that vein, ending with this startling accusation.

"… This Minister is not only guilty of severe neglect, but his direct agent, acting under what we can only assume were his orders, attempted to permanently silence Harry Potter be sending two Dementors after him last summer! What has the Ministry come to when the Undersecretary to the Minister attempts the murder of a 14-year-old boy? Then, after the boy amazingly sends the beasts off with a corporeal Patronus, he is called before the full judicial Wisengamot, where the Minister changes the time of the trial at the last minute, in an attempt to insure that the then 15-year-old would be cast out of the wizarding world!"

These statements were made at the close of the last meeting of the Wisengamot, much of it over the gavel beating from the Chief Warlock. Over the past two weeks, many meetings between members of the Wisengamot have taken place, while, in the mean time, Undersecretary Umbridge has been arrested and detained, while the Auror corps completes it's investigation.

The question now does not seem to be if the Fudge administration will fall, but when. This begs the question, once Fudge is out, who will the next Minister be?

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Harry stared numbly at the paper, falling into his seat. The silence hung thick in the kitchen. Hermione was the first to speak.

"Harry, are you okay?" Hermione asked in a quiet voice, barely over a whisper.

Harry suddenly focused, "How did Mr. Diggory find about the Dementors? Does this mean we will have to testify at Umbridge's trial?"

Remus' face became stern, "You mean this is true? How long have you known?"

Harry responded as if in a daze, "Not all of it, of course, this the Prophet. Umbridge admitted to it the day we went to the Department of Mysteries. Fudge didn't know, or at least didn't order it directly, at least according to her. She said she did it all to help Fudge, and he would understand, just like the Cruciatus." Harry seemed to snap out of his daze at that point, as all the adults present screamed, "WHAT!"

Hermione spoke up. "She didn't actually cast it, she only threatened to.."

Ginny interrupted, "Only because you distracted her, Hermione. There is no doubt in my mind she would have done it. How could you expect otherwise after the Veritaserum and the Blood Quill?"

Molly gasped, Remus growled, and Arthur looked ill. Remus then controlled his voice, and quietly, but firmly asked, "Why don't you tell us what happened that day, Harry, everything that happened at Hogwarts before you left."

Harry proceeded to tell the three adults what happened, with clarifications from Hermione and Ginny, and added that Nym knew all about it, and said she would do something about it.

"Well, Harry, that's how Amos Diggory found out. All charges filed with the DMLE are public record. He was probably keeping tabs on all charges filed to help in Fudge's ouster." Arthur added after Harry's explanation.

After the uproar, Harry got up to leave, only to be stopped by the three women present. He was just finishing his meal when Nym arrived, planted a kiss firmly on his lips, and whispered "Wotcher" in his ear, before dropping into the chair next to him. She then turned to the rest of the room, smiled, and greeted them as well.

Harry passed the paper to Nym, who quickly looked through it, winced slightly, and laid her head on Harry's shoulder.

"Sorry, Harry, I had no idea that the governing Wisengamot would bother to look at the charges I filed after our little talk. Do you want me to talk to Madam Bones about placing the indictments under seal, so your name won't show up unless they are also judges?"

Harry wrapped an arm around her waist, and leaned his head against hers.

"It wasn't your fault, so an apology isn't necessary, but could you see if Madam Bones could place any indictments involving me under seal?"

At Nym's nod, Harry excused himself, stating Aurora was waiting, and he hoped to get this over with as soon as possible.

"Well, Fledgling, why do you think you have an aura, when the other wizards and witches don't?" Aurora asked.

"Is it because of the block? I mean my body never had to struggle to contain my magic, because the block automatically adjusted itself to handle any power surges." Harry asked, looking thoughtful.

Aurora's voice seemed to smile. "Yes, the block held in your magic, and eventually strengthened it immensely. The blocking charm was melded with your protection charm, probably when the protection charm was activated when your mother died. The protection charm is hooked directly into your core, drawing as much power as it needs to maintain itself, under normal circumstances. It has now been fully enmeshed with the power block charm, which is designed to diminish power surges, but still allow low amounts of power out. What the melding did was hook the power block directly into your core, causing every surge in power to be met by an appropriate amount of power from the same source, to counter it. This constant fighting of your own power caused it to grow much more and quicker than normal. That, combined with your heritage and other abilities, has given you as much or more raw power than Voldemort. Unfortunately, you need to construct the tools you need to control this power."

"I want you to look at your phoenix tattoos astrally, and tell me what you see."

Harry shifted his vision, and studied the blue tattoos. Bands of power seemed to connect the two tattoos, the bands seemed to initially go straight away from his body, then curve back around at about 10cm away, and traveled across his body at that distance, only to dive straight in at the other tattoo.

When Harry told Aurora of what he saw, she was pleased.

"Good, you need no more tuition in astral viewing of magic."

She then paused, before launching into another explanation.

"Those tattoos are anchor points, used to set up a magical net to contain your magic. You will need to construct a net of your own, one much more complex, to keep your magic in check after the block is gone."

The next seven hours seemed to last forever, as Aurora drilled Harry in the construction of this 'safety net'. She had him pick 18 points on his body, which she referred to as 'chakras', and channel his magic through them, until it would flow that way by itself. After the marathon session, Aurora left Harry to Nym's tender mercies, where they rested and snogged until dinner.

At dinner, Ron reminded Harry that tonight was his bachelor party. Harry protested that it wasn't necessary, until Nym told him to go, as she was having a party of her own with the girls.

The twins spirited Harry off to their shop for the party. Remus helped them reconfigure their loft into a large open area, the same size as the retail area of the shop. A 15 meter long wet bar adorned one side of the room, and a couple of couches were set up at one end, about 3 meters apart, facing each other.

Harry arrived with Fred, George, Ron, Bill, and Remus. Much to Harry's surprise, Lee Jordan, Oliver Wood, and Neville were there, waiting for them.

The first thing they all did was start drinking, and Harry got his first undiluted taste of Firewhiskey. It reminded Harry of the Imperious curse, first you are stunned, then enveloped in a warm feeling. Without thinking, his magic flared, and the effects vanished. After his first drink, the twins unveiled a sign, which read "So long, Harry, You were too young to go".

Bawdy jokes were traded, involving the elderly, Cossacks, and various animals. After nearly two hours, Ron and Neville were thoroughly drunk, Fred, George, and Lee were only showing slurred speech. Oliver, Bill, and Remus just seemed to be enjoying the show.

A knock on the door caused the twin to straighten up.

"The entertainment has arrived, gentlemen!" They then opened the door, and 6 women entered the loft, all in what looked like modified Hogwarts uniforms. Their skirts only reached mid thigh, and the sweaters all looked painted on. As they walked in, Harry saw the glamours five of them were wearing. The sixth he recognized, even though she had changed her appearance drastically, as Nym. Switching to mage sight, he identified the others as Alicia, Angelina, Hermione, Luna, and Katie. Angelina, Alicia, and Katie went to Fred, George, and Lee respectively. Hermione went to Ron, and Luna to Neville. Nym walked up and sat in Harry's lap, amongst catcalls and whistles.

Harry smiled at her and whispered in her ear.

"So, Nym, did Remus, Bill, or both of them get you guys to do this?"

Nym's eyes widened, then she smiled and whispered back.

"Both, but don't tell yet, we want to get the others. I'm giving you permission to kiss the other girls until we reveal ourselves, just to keep up with the illusion."

Harry's eyes widened at her statement.

"Did you tell them what would happen? I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable."

Nym smile brightened, "The twins and Ron were the ones who wanted to 'hire' us, just to make you uncomfortable, and don't worry, I warned them."

Nym then planted a firm kiss on him, reaching her peak twice before she pulled back.

Cheers reverberated through the room. Fred then spoke up, pushing Alicia forward.

"Come on, now, line up girls, each give a farewell kiss to the condemned man."

Nym got up, and walked over to Bill and Remus, who were standing near the bar, and started to talk with them in low tones. Alicia went forward, and took a seat in Harry's lap.

Harry smiled at her and whispered, "You don't have to do this, Alicia. We could just fake it if you're more comfortable with it"

Alicia laughed merrily, and whispered back, "Fred wanted to embarrass you, now I get to prank him for once. Besides, Nym has got me curious."

At first, she barely touched his lips, but the feelings coursing through her caused her to deepen the kiss, which she broke as she spasmed in climax. She then whispered breathlessly in his ear.

"She wasn't kidding, you are dangerous. I wouldn't be too sure that she wants this ability to go away."

Alicia then got up, and addressed the other girls.

"Careful, ladies, it's a wild ride." she said, which caused hoots and cheers from the boys, and giggles from the girls.

Angelina came up next, sitting in Harry's lap, and staring into his extremely red face. Seeing his obvious embarrassment, she felt sorry for him, and leaned in to whisper.

"Harry, it's me, Angelina. We're all…"

"I know it's you, just like Nym, Alicia, Katie, Hermione, and Luna. It's still embarrassing. I suppose you are curious as well. What exactly did Nym tell you guys would happen?"

Her eyes widened, and she gasped, and then shook her head.

"You are definitely a perceptive one, aren't you? She told us that it would be the best kiss we ever had, but we only get one. Why?"

Harry's face was now approaching the color of Weasley hair. "Every girl I've kissed since I've had these power problems has orgasmed from them! How am I supposed to do that to any of you, especially Hermione and Luna, and not get embarrassed?"

Angelina smiled and said, "Don't believe you, got to test." Where upon she ambushed him with a sudden kiss, which lasted a good 30 seconds. When her lips finally released him, he had to hold her steady, as she nearly fell off his lap. She recovered quickly, and quickly walked over to Nym, where they had a short conversation, at the end of which, Nym looked at the rest of the girls, and gestured them to continue.

Katie approached, and Harry was thinking of a way to get back at Nym, before he realized that this was probably the highest show of trust that he could think of.

As Katie took the now customary seat on his lap, Harry spoke up first.

"Hi, Katie. I bet you never thought you'd be doing this. I knew I thought it would have been impossible, to be kissing all of you in one night, and I haven't even caught a snitch!"

Katie looked surprised.

"Did you fancy me at some point, Harry?"

"How could I, you three were unattainable, and you already had boyfriends. But I wholeheartedly agreed with Lee's commentaries. You know, you don't have to do this."

"Nym assured us, one kiss wouldn't hurt. Are you ready?"

Harry nodded, and Katie started a small kiss, then the magic hit, and she nearly toppled Harry over backward in the chair. She got up quickly; looking a little embarrassed herself, and crossed to the bar. Harry noticed all three Quiddich players were drinking at this point; the first two had a glass waiting for Katie.

Hermione approached slowly, and daintily sat in his lap.

Harry whispered, "Hermione, if you kiss me, Ron will kill me when he finds out that I knew it was you."

Hermione gasped at her name, but her eyes hardened in resolve by the end of Harry's statement.

"Ron is sitting over there, drunk, egging us on, thinking it would be oh so funny to get you drunk and make you do questionable things. I like the idea of teaching him a lesson this way. Besides, it's just a kiss, what could it hurt?"

Before Harry could explain, Hermione planted a soft kiss in him. Never before having the pleasure of an orgasm, and due to the suddenness of the arousal, Hermione blacked out for a few seconds, just like Ginny did.

Harry held her up, until she could stand on her own, then looked over at Nym, and Astrally asked her to end this now.

Nym nodded, and announced, "Ladies, let's end this now."

All the ladies removed the glamours, causing the three youngest Weasley boys to start shouting. The twins shouted, "Hey, that's my girlfriend!" in unison. Ron didn't seem to care that Hermione just kissed Harry; he just looked happy to see her, shouting, "Hi Hermione. When did you get here?" Lee just looked dumbfounded, alternating looks at Katie and his glass of Firewhiskey.

Hermione stared at Harry for a second, saying, "Wow, now I know why they call it 'the little death'."

The party then degenerated into couples in various stages of argument. Harry thanksd Bill, Remus, and Oliver, collected Nym, and returned to Grimmauld Place.


	15. Wedding Effects

Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to Harry Potter, and precious little of this plot. This is my first attempt, and I need all the feedback I can get. I'm finally getting the hang of online editing. Hopefully this will be easier to read.

A/N: The marriage ceremony is of my own construction, taken from Wicca, Katherine Kurtz, and Christian ceremonies. I know it only vaguely resembles any of these, so please don't take me to task for any inaccuracies, as they are intentional.

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July 31st started with a spectacular dawn display, as the sun reflected off of a few fluffy cumulus clouds, turning them a deep orange. Harry observed the dawn from the roof of number 12 Grimmauld Place. Like many homes built in that era, there was a rather large flat area of roof that would be where the peak of an a-frame would be. Harry was quite surprised to find this area resembled a small park. Nearly half the area, five meters wide and running nearly the length of the house in total, was a raised area. This area looked like a well-kept lawn, with a few wrought iron benches scattered throughout. Next to this area, there was a 10 meter long, 2 meter wide polished wood surface, with a triangular mark at one end, filled with numbers. This was apparently for some sort of game, but Harry had no idea what it would be.

There was also a railing around this rooftop park, and it was on this railing that Harry was leaning, watching the sunrise. His life had changed immeasurably in the past month, and the changes seemed to keep on coming. At least in recent times, the changes weren't all bad. Chief amongst the good changes was Nym. With Sirius' death, and his power control problems, he didn't know if he could handle it all if not for her. Although the idea of their marriage started out as one of solving problems, Harry was coming to look forward to it, and today was the day. Madame Bones had kindly agreed to perform the ceremony, which was only 10 hours away.

His reverie was broken by the flash on Aurora's appearance. The phoenix attempted to astrally transport Harry, just like she did the first day they met. Harry blocked the attempt, binding both himself and Aurora to this place.

"Well done, fledgling! You should be prepared for what is to come. It is good you will be able to practice magic after today, as you will have to re-learn all you have learned to this point. Simultaneously, I want to teach you a few new ways to use your magic. As you go over each old spell, I will help you learn to cast them silently, and even wandlessly."

Even though Harry had some small bouts of wandless magic, he still held some skepticism, and it showed on his face.

"That stubbornness can be useful. Worry not, I will teach you to put it to good use."

Harry shook his head and gave a rueful grin, "You should know all about stubbornness. Why can't you be more sweet tempered, like Fawkes?"

"You know naught, my friend, if you think Fawkes sweet tempered. He merely coddled you, as is the wont with phoenixes when dealing with fledglings. I am certain your Headmaster would find your statement laughable."

Shrugging at the bird, Harry bid goodbye to Aurora, and went to the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley was most assuredly making breakfast.

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Nym woke up alone in bed, which irked her slightly. While searching for Harry, she saw Aurora perched on the footboard of the bed. Going through the procedure she'd been taught, Nym invoked astral perception. She smiled to herself, as it only took 5 minutes this time, the fastest she'd been able to do it without Harry.

"Your mate is restless and deep in thought simultaneously. It would be wise to remain close to him, preferably inside his aura, for the next few days. I will give you three days to complete your bonding before I resume instruction. After the bond, you will gain abilities as well."

Nym stared at the phoenix. "What do you mean? We're just getting married. How could that affect my abilities at all?"

Aurora trilled a chuckle. "Long ago, your mate would have been called Archmage, and you Battle Mage. Archmagi do not 'just get married'. You will be life bonded tonight. Such a bond will give you both a larger magical core, the ability to share your power, and even borrow each other's abilities. In addition, you specifically, will be able to change any part of your body far beyond your abilities today. You will be able to heal practically any wound quickly, including bone and internal organs. You will be able to vary your bone density, respiratory and muscle efficiency, and even grow bone spurs, to act as weapons, or as a climbing aid."

" I will also teach you some practice forms. You notice you are slightly clumsy? That is because your body is always slightly off balance. This allows you to move quicker, as the only time you are really stable is while moving quickly. These forms I will teach you will allow you to compensate for that instability."

To say Nym was surprised would be an understatement.

"Why didn't you say something earlier? How do you even know we are capable of a life bond? After all, this is more an alliance than a typical marriage."

Aurora trilled another laugh. "Your mate could not have asked you, had the bond not been possible. He is almost a creature of magic, now. After tonight, he will hopefully be the light that will bring about a long needed change to wizarding society. Let us hope that the change won't require the destruction of the old way, for, no matter the cost, the change will come."

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Molly Weasley was in her element, riding herd on her large and boisterous family. She was issuing orders like a general, thriving under the pressure of creating the perfect wedding for her surrogate son. Her joy in the preparations was almost eclipsed by her happiness at being asked to act as a guardian in the old marriage ritual, along with her husband and youngest son. The forth guardian was a very happy but nervous Hermione, who thought that the southern post was odd for her. The element of fire had the only guardian without red hair.

When Harry entered the kitchen, he was greeted warmly, given a tray of food, and unceremoniously shown the door. After all, there was only 8 hours until the guests would arrive, and there was much yet left to do, both to the study, where the ceremony would be held, and the ballroom, where the reception would be.

Nym arrived in the kitchen a half an hour after Harry. She appeared pre-occupied, which caused Molly to temporarily delegate her authority to Bill and Ginny. She took Nym off to the side, where she tried to determine Nym's state of mind, and she learned of the information bomb that was dropped on her. In the telling, Nym had worked herself into a state, full of doubts and scenarios of failure. Then a tremor ran through Grimmauld Place, And Nym smiled brightly.

"Don't worry, everyone, that tremor was Harry noticing my state. It's okay now"

Nym spoke brightly around her smile, while backing out of the room. As soon as the door closed, Nym's running footsteps could be heard, headed upstairs.

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Harry was sitting in lotus position on the floor of the Master Suite's lounge. He was practicing cycling through modes of perception, when he felt a growing disquiet. Unintentionally, he took over control of the wards on the house, to help seek out the source of the anxiety.

The source turned out to be Nym. He flooded her with his feelings and recent realizations, including the fact that he was in love with her. He immediately felt her warm response, which surprised him nearly as much as when she told him that he was shaking the house.

Nym arrived much faster than the distance to the kitchen would seem to allow. In unspoken accord, they both sat on one of the comfortable couches in the lounge, nestled in each other's arms and thoughts, enjoying the closeness. They stayed that way until noon, when Ginny was sent to retrieve Nym, so she could get dressed in time. Nym left a happy but perplexed Harry, who wondered how it could take four hours to get dressed. Secretly, Nym wondered the same.

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The intervening three hours saw more activity in the Ancient and Noble House of Black than had probably been seen in a century or more. The only one free to roam about the building seemed to be Harry, who was forbidden to help, seemingly by consensus.

At 2:30, Harry finally had enough, and went to get dressed in his newest set of dress robes. Somehow, Bill and Arthur found him moments later, helping him look his best, and going over the ceremony repeatedly until Harry felt he could recite it in his sleep.

At 3:00, a secured floo connection was opened, and guests started arriving. Harry was surprised at the guest list. Not necessarily by it's content, but it's length. Twenty-eight people were to attend, including himself and Nym, 29 if you counted Aurora, 31 if you also included Dobby and Winky.

Harry was fully dressed and briefed by 3:30, and insisted on going out to meet his guests. Upon entering the study, Harry was a little stunned. He knew of the modifications to the room to make it suitable for the ceremony, but seeing the 10-meter diameter circle of chairs surrounding the altar and four small stones on the cardinal points of the compass, was still a bit awe inspiring.

Ron, as guardian of the east, was seating the guests, starting in the northeast, and continuing clockwise. Harry felt odd seeing Ron with a staff, although he knew it was for the ceremony. As he had been led to expect, the younger girls were the first to be seated.

Next came the Order members who chose to come, first among which was Professor McGonagall. Professors Flitwick and Sprout followed, smiling at Harry as they entered. Hestia Jones and Kingsley Shacklebolt entered together, wearing Auror Dress Uniform.

To close out the Adults, who were not participants, was Andromeda and Ted Tonks, who were ushered in by Remus.

"I can't believe you managed to get all the Weasleys here, especially considering your bride." Remus said to Harry in a stage whisper, causing barks of protest from the male Weasley children, and a bright blush from Ginny.

Molly, Arthur, and Hermione entered next, and took up positions in the appropriate quarters, Molly to the North, Arthur to the West, and Hermione to the South. Ron stayed out of position, as he had to wait for Madame Bones and Nym to enter before closing the circle.

Ginny, following her cue, left the room to escort Nym. Less than a minute after Ginny left, Madame Bones entered, also dressed in Auror Dress Uniform. She took her place on the north side of the altar, facing Harry and Remus on the south side.

When Ginny returned, she seemed to be accompanied by a startlingly white and lacy dress, as Nym's veil hung down past her neck. The rest of the dress seemed to be skintight from the waist up, and numerous frilly skirts below.

Nym glided into the circle, her movement smooth and quiet, a state, which, up till now, Harry had only seen during dueling practice. As both girls entered the circle, Aurora flamed into existence above Harry, and came to rest on his shoulder, letting out a few happy chirps.

When Nym reached Harry's side, Ron took up position by the eastern stone, and all four Guardians grounded their staves. Next Molly lifted her staff, and began her incantation in Gaelic, which Harry followed along with the translation in his head,

"I call upon the Guardians of the North, Spirits of the Earth! Shield this ceremony, and Bless this couple, that they may add to thee through progeny, I call upon you in the Lord's name." Molly then grounded her staff, and Harry felt a surge of magic when it hit. He didn't notice the startled expressions in the crowd.

Next, Arthur lifted his staff, and incanted, "I call upon thee, Guardians of the West, Spirits of Water! Shield this ceremony, and Bless this couple, that they may add to the eternal sea In the Lord's name I call upon thee!" As Arthur grounded his staff, the magical pulse was stronger, and accompanied by a flash of light.

Hermione lifted her staff, and carried through with her normal determination.

"I call upon you, Guardians of the South, Spirits of Fire! Shield this ceremony and Bless this couple, that, through their own Fires, they may kindle the fires of others. I call upon thee in the name of the Lord." When she grounded her staff, a visible pulse of magic flashed around the circle.

Ron looked around, a little afraid of what would happen when he was done, only to be reassured by a trill from Aurora.

"I call upon thee, Guardians of the East, Spirits of the Air! Shield this ceremony, and bless this couple, that the lightness in their hearts might inspire others to the same. I ask this in the name of the Lord."

Ron grounded his staff, light flared, and Grimmauld Place rang with the sound of a gong, as a translucent dome sprung up around the wedding party.

Madame Bones raised an eyebrow, and shook her head. She lifted her wand and continued with the ceremony.

"Harry, raise your wand and answer my questions. Do you, Harry James Potter, take Nymphadora Cassiopeia Tonks, to be your wife? Heart to heart, mind to mind, magic to magic, as long as you both shall live"

Harry, smiling brighter than he could ever remember, answered, "Yes, I do." A flare of magic surrounded Harry for a moment, and when it was gone, Harry knew the phoenix tattoos were gone as well.

Turning to Nym, Madame Bones repeated her question, to which Nym answered, "Yes, I certainly do" almost before the question was finished. Nym's oath caused a flare of magic as well, which seemed to cause a counter flare from Harry.

Nym then threw off the veil, displaying bright blue eyes and bubble-gum pink hair.

Madame Bones barely got out, "By the authority invested in me by the Ministry of Magic, and the acceptance of the Spirits, I now pronounce you Man and Wife." Whereupon Nym launched herself at Harry, who spun as he caught her to redirect the momentum. Aurora leaped into the air, trilling a happy tune despite her rude displacement.

As they kissed, the dome shattered, and waves of joy and lust battered all those assembled. In a flash of fire, the happy couple and Aurora disappeared.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Harry and Nym found themselves in the master bedroom. Aurora astrally spoke to them, answering their questions before they asked.

" The binding has reached it's maximum instability, as the ceremony finished unraveling one part in three. I must tell you, that, although the controls are failing, the spells will stay in effect until the marriage is consummated."

"For the safety of all, as well as your own well being, I suggest you not waste time. I shall see you in three days."

At the end of her little speech, Aurora flashed away, leaving the happy couple to their own devices.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The wedding guests were a bit taken aback by the sudden departure of the bride and groom. Aurora flashed into the room, trilled a soothing note, and stared intently at Ginny Weasley. Ginny gasped as she heard Aurora astrally contact her.

" Do not be frightened, Genevra, as Harry and Nym are quite safe. The binding on Harry's magic must be removed as soon as possible, however, for this to remain the case. They must complete the bonding in the primal sense for the old magic to recognize the bond, and release the binding."

" I have come to you because you are bonded to Harry stronger than anyone other than Nym, and when the binding breaks, you will feel it more strongly than anyone here. I would suggest you move to where you holding the reception, and remain seated until you feel the wave pass. I do not know exactly what will happen, so it would be best to be safe. If you need me, I will be waiting in the Master suite's lounge."

That said, Aurora flashed away, leaving a blushing Ginny to explain to the guests.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Their previously shared dream paled in comparison to the reality of the situation. As soon as Aurora left, Nym had attached herself to Harry, as their clothes seemed to disappear. As the last of the clothes left them, Harry overcame his desire momentarily to ask Nym. " Please, no special forms or colors. I want the first time to be with you, the unmorphed you."

Nym reverted to her base form, joy bursting from her as she attacked him with renewed vigor. As their hearts raced, and their bodies heated with passion, Harry's aura expanded, and both lovers subconsciously channeled that energy away. As their passion reached it's peak, Harry entered her, and after he finally broke through her maidenhead, a wave of magic rolled out in a visible wave from them. Nym lost count of her orgasms, and was thankful for the charm Aurora taught her which effectively closed off her fallopian tubes for a week.

0-0-0-0-0-0

The guests were just starting to act normally when the wave washed through the ballroom. Every enchanted item glowed and heated up. Smaller items, or ones made of flammable materials were rendered unfunctional, or even burned up. All the people froze in place, feeling the strong wave of magically induced pleasure course through them. Ginny, as expected, felt this more pronouncedly, and briefly fainted.

Shortly after the wave passed, an explosion rocked 12 Grimmauld Place. The wards flared, and then seemed to strengthen. The Fidelius broke, only to be replaced be another Fidelius. Outside, the house seemed to flash in and out of existence.

As the wave continued outward, yet to be turned on streetlamps flickered. Electricity in the homes for a block surrounding number 12 was disrupted, as fuse panels gave off pyrotechnic displays without fire, breakers popped, light bulbs flared and blew out. Blown out light bulbs relit or exploded.

Muggles in the area were infused with a sense of wonder. Most rationalized it away, but quite a few hidden squibs discovered their ancestry that day.

Although the visible wave was gone after a block, the magic pulse continued outward. Random anti-muggle wards throughout London fell; magical creatures appeared at odd intervals through the city for an hour following the pulse.

Every under-age magical detector in the Ministry of Magic exploded. Mafalda Hopkirk avoided injury seemingly miraculously, as the shrapnel from the detectors seemed to loose all momentum some 2 meters from her desk. The Floo Network was knocked off line, and the Apparation point in the Ministry temporarily moved to the wreckage of the Fountain of Magical Brethren. The wand checker in the lobby let loose a flume of smoke and fell apart.

All the magical windows cycled through images, and all the paper airplanes carrying messages burned to ash in midair. The Department of Mysteries was awash with interactions between the different objects they stored. Time turners flickered in and out of time. The Hall of Prophecy was a cacophony as at least half the prophecies were projected above the crystal globes and the prophecies were recited. The spinning room started indexing, flicking to doors in random order. The Veil in the Death room flared and turned white.

The only area mostly unaffected by the wave was the Auror area, where the only noticeable effect was the sudden recharging of all portkeys, and the re-powering of any discharged defensive runes in the area.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Voldemort was organizing a strike to commemorate Harry's birthday, when he cried out in anguish. The assembled Death Eaters looked on in trepidation as their leader writhed on the floor, as if he were receiving the Cruciatus curse.

After nearly 5 minutes, the bout seemed to pass, and the Dark Lord stood and glared at his followers, looking for any signs of rebellion. As he was about to pass judgment, two hooded Death Eaters entered the room.

Voldemort glared at the interruption, then really looked at the new arrivals. One was Amycus, still disguised as Scrimgour. The other was Pettigrew. Both were on extremely important assignments, ones that could change everything. Making the decision, Voldemort dismissed the other Death Eaters, and called these two into his audience chamber.

"Amycus, you first. Why are you here now? You endanger your position, and all that we have worked toward."

Amycus bowed, and briefly groveled to his Lord, and defended himself.

"My Lord, the Ministry is in chaos. Massive disruptions have ripped through the Ministry building it self, and Muggle magical sightings are rampant throughout London. All the Obliviator squads are being mobilized, each going out with Aurors. They should leave the rest of the country open for any action you desire."

Voldemort was pleased, but also wary. He decided to hear what Wormtail had to say first, before taking any action. Whatever Potter had done, it felt like the boy was trying to rip out his soul. Though the pain had passed, Voldemort was still weak, and thought discretion was the better part of valor tonight.

"Wormtail, you are supposed to be watching the Potter boy. Have you lost him?" the Dark Lord added an evil smile at the end. Best to unnerve the fool.

"Master!" Pettigrew groveled with the best of them.

Voldemort considered kicking him, but didn't want him to figure out he was presently weak.

"On your feet and report, rat."

Pettigrew leapt to obey, "Master, the wards at the boy's home have collapsed, and the boy's guards have left."

The Dark Lord pondered these events, and came to the conclusion that there was no was Dumbledore would leave the boy unattended, and must be aware of the wards, as well as the situation at the Ministry. An evil grin spread across his alien visage.

"Amycus, get back to the Ministry. Look official and see how long you can cause the disruption to continue. Pettigrew, take Carrows and 5 new recruits. Apparate directly into the home, and take the muggles and bring them here. I need information. Before you leave, send Severus to me. You are both dismissed."

After they left, he collapsed into his throne, impatiently awaiting the Muggles and a pain potion.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Dumbledore sat at his desk, going over a severely shortened list of candidates for the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. It was critical that he maintain Hogwarts independence from the Ministry.

Five of the intricate machines on his desk, and around his office, melted into slag. The hip pocket of his robes caught fire, as the watch, which showed Harry's health, burned through and melted into a puddle on the floor. Quickly extinguishing himself, the Headmaster rose to inspect the damage. All the machines that were destroyed were attached to tracking charms placed in Harry. As he was surveying the damage, he noticed smoke coming out of his cabinet. Waving a hand to open the door, he noticed his most recent acquisition, a ring from the Gaunt family, was glowing red. The ring's black stone now showed two runes, glowing red on the surface of the stone. Thurisaz and Wunjo reversed. This verified his suspicions, this was indeed a Horcrux. The first rune, however, showed that the ring was better protected than he had originally thought. The ring was cooling, and Albus went to his private library to look up a potion that would dissolve an opal, when a winded Emmaline Vance reached the base of the stairs, and was announced to him. The woman virtually ran into the office.

"Headmaster, the wards around the Potter boy's home have collapsed. I tried to get his relatives to leave, but they tried to physically kick me out of their home, so I came here as soon as I could."

The Headmaster reached down, and picked up a lump that used to be an intricate magical monitor. He waved his wand at it and said 'portus', creating a portkey to Privet Drive.

"Come Miss Vance, there is no time to lose."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

In northern Wales, a hidden estate seemed to ripple. Two 'statues' suddenly glowed golden. As the glow faded, the 'statues' retained a golden and brown coloration. Their feathers twitched, and piercing green eyes opened. Both griffons spread their wings, and shifted position from somnolent to rampant. A new master had come of age, and both eagerly awaited their master's return, or call.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Professor Dumbledore and Emmaline Vance arrived just outside of the Dursley's property. Hurrying to the front door, the headmaster knocked and called out. At the lack of response, the Headmaster entered the home, only to find no one there. Everything was left as if someone had just left, meaning to return quickly. There was even a cup of tea sitting on the kitchen table, still hot. Upon further investigation, Albus detected portkey traces. Traces strong enough to indicate somewhere near 8 to 10 people left through portkey within the last 10 minutes.

Both order members left shortly thereafter. Dumbledore swore Miss Vance to secrecy, and wondered how he could face Harry to tell him.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Remus and the adult Weasleys, that is Molly, Arthur, Bill and Charlie, recovered from the wave quickly, and went to investigate the explosion they had heard. They found a door blown out in the basement, 2 rooms away from the kitchen. Remus immediately stopped the others and paused to smell for gas, as that room was where the boiler for the heating system was.

After detecting no gas, the group slowly entered the room.

The boiler was charred along the bottom, and there was a crater some 2 meters wide and 1 meter deep below it. Various bits of jewelry, glass, and small gems were imbedded in the walls. Sitting in the bottom of the crater was a cracked, rather ornate necklace with a locket attached. The locket was still smoldering

Molly recognized the locket as the one that no one could open when everyone was cleaning Headquarters last year, and Sirius had placed it in the discard pile. Remus recalled that this area was where Kreature had slept.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

As the wave moved through Downtown London, some of the first places hit were 10 Downing Street, Whitehall, Charing Cross, and Buckingham Palace. The PM was taken to a secure shelter, as, what the muggle military could only explain as a slow moving EMP, caused electrical and computer problems in the heart of the government. The military immediately started analyzing the data. The results of the analysis were odd, to say the least. The Effect, as it was now being called, seemed to start less than a mile to the northeast of Trafalgar Square. The exact source could not be determined. The wave moved out at roughly 200kph, and seemed to cause secondary Effects as it struck 2 other areas, one to the northwest of downtown, and one due south. The secondary Effects were weaker, and were not to go more than a few blocks. What worried the military the most was that these three places nicely bracketed and overlapped downtown London. That, and the fact that they could not pinpoint the exact locations of any of the sources, or come up with a real explanation of what the Effect actually was, caused several security procedures to go into effect long before the Ministry of Magic even thought of informing the muggle government of the situation.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Diagon Alley was moderately busy when the wave hit. Quality Quiddich Supplies attendants had to chase half their stock, as the brooms took off on their own. Lee Jordan, covering for Fred and George, was witness to large portions of the stock in the store go off. Fireworks shot through the store, fake wands cycled between wand and rubber chicken. A few portable swamps flickered in and out of existence. A new set of 100 Spellballs, the name they had come up with for the balls that could store and release spells, indicated that they now had been enspelled.

Knockturn Alley fared much worse than it's neighbor. Borgin and Burkes literally exploded, as the magic from many of the dark objects held there were destroyed. Several other businesses caught fire, as a few dark objects heated up past the combustion point of wood. After that day, 5 shops in Knockturn Alley would never open their doors again.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Harry and Nym spent what felt like an eternity caught in the dreamlands, surrounded by magic and passion. In reality, it was only about five minutes at the end of their first lovemaking.

After coming to their senses, they noticed that all the furniture in the room was pushed against the walls. The canopy was missing from the top of the bed, and was somehow imbedded into the ceiling. Everything in the room was white. The walls, furniture, clothing, even the floor and the rug covering it were brilliant white. Every the brick of the chimney that took up part of one of the interior walls, had turned a shiny white, almost marble in its appearance.

When Harry was finally able to focus on anything other than Nym, he could feel the wards surrounding Grimmauld Place, Including a Fidelius Charm, of which he was the secret keeper. Smiling to himself, he looked at the wards, as well as felt them. They were at the level of Hogwarts' wards now.

"Nym." Harry whispered, "Do you know where you are?"

Nym smiled, "Of course, in our bedroom, silly!"

"And where is the house we are in?" Harry whispered as he snuggled closer to his new wife.

"In London, at…" she started, then looked perplexed. "We were already under the Fidelius, are we under a new one, or did the old one reform and lose everyone who knew?"

Harry kissed Nym gently. It lasted several minutes longer than originally intended.

"You are so smart. It's a new Fidelius, and I am somehow the secret keeper." Harry then held her close and whispered in her ear between kisses.

"Our bedroom is at 12 Grimmauld Place"

They made love again before it occurred to them that all their guests were probably still downstairs, and had no idea of where they were. They also noticed that they had been in there for two and a half hours.

Both decided to go downstairs to the reception for various reasons. Neither had planned to leave the reception before it had started. Nym insisted they wear their wedding clothes, even though Harry's dark green robe was now as white as Nym's dress. There were pictures to be taken, a Bouquet and Garter toss, and lots of food. The last part appealed the most to the now ravenous couple.

As they entered the Ballroom, they noticed the reception was very quiet, that is until they were noticed.

Hermione, Molly, Remus, Ginny, and Ron let out a nearly simultaneous "Harry!" and closed on the couple. Andromeda and Ted were only seconds behind with a "Nymphadora!" As they also headed for their daughter, followed by the rest of the Weasleys.

Through the mass of exclamations and questions, one seemed to stop everyone short.

Ginny asked, "Harry. Where are your glasses?"

Silence followed, as Harry actually felt for his glasses, realizing that he left them in the bedroom. He could see as well or better now without them than he could remember seeing with them.


	16. Of Vaults and Inheritances

Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to Harry Potter, and precious little of this plot. This is my first attempt, and I need all the feedback I can get.

A/N: I'm still struggling with punctuation limitations. Please bear with me.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The scheduled meeting of the Wizengamot was postponed, due to the chaos in London on the 31st. Draco Malfoy sulked at home, disappointed about not attending the meeting. Though he was still several months shy of his 17th birthday, and thus his majority, his mother would be moving for her to hold his vote until then. In all practicality, it would be Draco's vote, at least as he saw it.

Sullen and bored, he decided to go to the part of the manor that was specially warded to prevent anyone outside the manor, particularly the Ministry, from detecting what went on there.

Past the hidden entrance in the drawing room were a storage area for Dark objects, and a practice room for unforgivables, or an underage wizard.

After removing the disillusionment, and activating the trap door, Draco became confused. The door did not open, though , after the click of the door unlocking, a high pitched whistling ensued. He grabbed a letter opener from the nearby desk, and pried at the door. The whistle lowered in pitch, then the door flew open with a 'whump', causing Draco to fall backwards. A black cloud roiled out of the concealed room, darkening the area. Draco sneezed as he was enveloped in soot. He quickly got up, "scourgified" himself, and stole down the stairs. Casting 'lumos', he quickly discovered that the room where the dark artifacts were kept was completely burned out. A fortune in dark artifacts, and some rare dark spell books were completely destroyed. Draco briefly wondered if the happenings in London could have caused this as well, but dismissed it as absurd. Whatever had happened, he decided to place the blame as he usually did, he'd blame Potter.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

An emergency meeting took place at 10 Downing Street between the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary, CINCLAND, and a very upset Cornelius Fudge that evening. John Major began the meeting.

"Minister Fudge, I have been informed that the source of the havoc, and subsequent fear and rumor mongering, that befell London today came from your world. Would you care to explain? I'm sure the Home Secretary and the commander of Her Majesties Armed Forces would like an explanation." The Prime Minister's voice was not loud, but quite forceful.

Fudge looked like a boy caught with his hand in a tin of biscuits.

"Well, you see, we know the disturbance was magical in origin, but not who did it, or even how. Our Department of Mysteries would normally be the ones to figure all this out, but they were the hardest hit by it. Most of our magic detectors were damaged, or completely destroyed by the incident, including all of our underage magic detectors. I have been informed that our Obliviation Squads are pushed to their limits. Fortunately, the group least effected were the Aurors, so we can stay on guard against Lord Thingy, as it were." Fudges voice quieted toward the last few words.

General Sir John Wimsley had recently been named to the new position of CINCLAND, Commander in Chief of Land forces throughout most of the British Commonwealth. Upon assuming command, he was briefed on the existence of the magical world, and given a brief summary of their governmental structure and recent history.

"Minister Fudge, I have not been briefed on any 'Lord Thingy" nor any variation of that name. I was under the impression that few members of the magic community were of the peerage. Who is this man of whom you speak, and why must you guard against him? Is he a foreign national?"

Before Fudge could answer, Michael Howard, the Home Secretary, answered in such a way as to cause Fudge to wince.

"This 'Lord Thingy' is in fact a terrorist who has chosen the name 'Lord Voldemort' for himself. It seems the magical population is afraid to speak his name, even in print. He is usually referred to as 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named', or the ever-cryptic 'You-Know-Who'. He was quite active 25 to 15 years ago, and then he disappeared. According to the magical newspapers, he returned about a year ago, but the report was only verified 6 weeks ago, when he, and a dozen of his followers, known as Death Eaters, invaded the Ministry of Magic building, and was personally seen by the Minister here. Let me call in the DG, she's waiting outside."

A middle-aged woman entered the room, accompanied by an elderly man in wizarding robes. Fudge gasped as he identified the wizard as Algernon Croaker, who was the retired head of the Unspeakables.

Croaker smiled at Fudges gasp, and nodded in his direction. The woman approached Fudge, and extended a hand.

"Good evening Minister. I'm Stella Rimlington, Director General of Security, otherwise known as MI5."

Fudge reluctantly shook her hand, while staring at Croaker, who handed four sets of files to her.

Croaker then approached the others in the room.

"Gentlemen, I'm, Algernon Croaker. I am Mrs. Rimlington's opposite number in the magical world. The files she is now handing out are compilations of how both sides viewed the Effect, as it is now being referred to, as well as the files on possible suspects. What occurred today took an extraordinary amount of magic, and as a result, the list of people capable of doing this is small, but they represent the most powerful wizards in the country, if not the world."

As he spoke, the others scanned through the files. Fudge was surprised at the detail on the description of the chaos in the magical world, including copies of a few of his own memos from today.

Wimsley read in growing apprehension of the abilities of this 'Voldemort' and his band of terrorists. They made the Irish problems look like a walk in the park. The previous 'war' with this animal resulted in thousands of casualties. With the help of the monsters he was said to have made deals with in the past, that number could easily grow. A threat of this magnitude should have been brought to his attention.

Howard had a more extensive knowledge of the magical world than any other muggle in the room. As the son of a Squib, he knew much of average life in the magical world. After reading the reports of the first war with Voldemort, which he looked up as soon as he became Home Secretary, he had assigned the DG of Security to interact more fully with their magical equivalent, the security branch of the Unspeakables.

Reading these files now, he felt that decision vindicated. He looked through extensive files on Voldemort, Dumbledore, Flitwick, Moody, Arthur Weasley, Andromeda Tonks, McGonagall, and several Aurors. What surprised him was the next set of files, six files on school children, all between the ages of 14 and 16.

The name of Harry Potter stood out, of course. By some odd coincidence, today was Harry's birthday. Looking more in depth into the record, he noticed the time of birth was roughly the same time The Effect occurred.

"Mister Croaker, are you aware that Harry Potter was born sixteen years ago today, at almost the exact time of The Effect? Could a young man truly have created that havoc? Was it intentional, or accidental?" Mister Howard was clearly struggling with the idea.

"To answer your questions in order, yes, and we don't know twice. The Potter boy is an enigma, even to the Unspeakables. The vast majority of his file contains hearsay and speculation. Albus Dumbledore has controlled all information about the boy, and he plays his cards close to the vest. The only hard facts we've been able to garner have come to us recently, through the use of a new asset. He led the other five you have files on to the Ministry of magic six weeks ago. He believed someone close to him was in danger, and engineered what we would term 'an op' on the fly. He found a way to get from Hogwarts, the Wizarding School in Scotland, to London, penetrated into the Unspeakable research department, into one on the most protected rooms, the Hall of Prophesy. These six school children were attacked by twice their number in Death Eaters. The children fought these terrorists to a standstill for half an hour, before help arrived."

"We were able to read the magical signatures of all the battle's participants. Only three people measured higher than Mr. Potter. They were Albus Dumbledore, Voldemort, and Bellatrix Lestrange. His magic was also seemingly bound, like a young child's binding, but that should have worn off long ago. If he was able to do what he's done all these years with his power bound, if the binding were suddenly removed, something like The Effect could happen."

Silence ensued while everyone digested that bit of information. Croaker then cleared his throat and continued.

"However, this is just speculation. Until we can know for sure, we will watch those we can locate, and attempt to locate the others so we can watch them."

"What about the secondary parts of The Effect, what would cause them?" Sir John Wimsley persisted.

"Those were rebounds from Diagon Alley and the Ministry of Magic." Croaker answered, obviously happy, as he was asked a question he could answer.

Wimsley scowled in concentration at his folders.

"Prime Minister, I have a company of SAS trained to deal with the magical world. I would like permission to place them on temporary duty to assist these, what are they called, Aurors. Regardless of what happened today, this Voldemort character targets non-magical civilians more than any other group, and we have to protect the public."

Fudge started to sputter about the separation, but he was abruptly cut off by the Prime Minister.

"I'll authorize it. Have your men report to Croaker here. Fudge, your world seems to be encroaching on ours, and the separation only works with minimal interaction. If I feel the need to call you into this office again, I'll ask Her Majesty to dissolve your medieval little government, and put you all under the jurisdiction of the Home Secretary, is that clear?"

Fudge stood in a huff. "You think you will, do you? If you call again, you won't see me. The little fracas today postponed what will probably be a vote of no confidence. I'd be surprised if you don't see the new minister before the month is out. Another thing, I wouldn't threaten the next minister that way. We were protecting out people when you were nothing more than robber barons. Our ministry has been around longer than the last 2 royal lines. We swore fealty to a Norman king, not Tudors, Stuarts, or Wyndhams. I came here as a courtesy, not because you required I come. Good Day!" Fudge punctuated his departure with the crack of apperation.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The morning of August first dawned late for Harry, in that he woke up at 8:00, as opposed to his usual 5:30. As he held Nym close, he noticed that they were bonded down to their magical cores. The second thing he noticed was that he didn't to have to invoke astral sight, it seemed like it was always on.

Such thoughts vanished as his wife snuggled closer, and his attention became focused on the beautiful witch he held. The term 'wife' startled him briefly, then his emotions threatened to overwhelm him. 'My wife', he thought happily, he couldn't remember ever feeling this content. He gently disentangled himself to begin his morning ablutions.

Nym awoke an hour later, as Harry was just getting dressed for the day.

"And what do you think you are doing, Mr. Potter? What do you need those clothes for? I didn't get enough of you yet, so you will get back to bed this instant, young man!" Nym teased in a McGonagall-like voice, a sultry smile on her face.

Harry, who thought he was beyond it, still found himself blushing. He was not tongue tied, however, and answered quietly.

"I thought you'd be a bit sore after last night. I know where it would go if I stayed on bed, and I didn't want to hurt you."

Nym was touched and furious at the same time. Before she could formulate a response, two rather imperious looking owls swooped into the room, landing on the footboard of their bed. Harry was a little surprised to find he could understand the owls, each arguing that their letter was more important than any other. He stunned the birds when he answered them in kind, telling them they were both, no doubt, important, and he would read both letters as soon as possible.

One letter was from Gringotts, the other from the Ministry. After retrieving both, Harry chuckled as Hedwig put both owls in their place, berating their attitudes. He opened the Gringotts letter first.

_Mr. Potter,_

_As of yesterday, you have reached your majority, and, as such, you are requested to come to our Diagon Alley offices to formally take over the Potter and Gryffindor vaults. We would appreciate it if you could meet with us as soon as possible, as there is 14 years of investment history to summarize, as well as two family rings to take into your possession._

_Cordially_

_Ragnot_

Well, that was not really unexpected. Harry handed the Gringotts letter to Nym, as he opened the Ministry letter.

**Lord Potter,**

**The Wizengamot will be meeting on Friday, August 4th at 19:00. As you have come into your majority, you are requested to attend, and be formally inducted into the Legislative Wizengamot, House of Lords.**

**As a Lord, Count of Gwynnedd, and High Protector of Wales, the Potter seat holds 35 votes. As Lord, Viscount of Caithness, and High Protector of Magic, the Gryffindor seat holds 50 votes. You may vote any of your votes as you choose.**

**Foremost in this meeting, there will be a vote of confidence held as pertains to Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. There are also several funding referenda up for discussion, though; no new appropriations can be passed until the now vacant Chancellor of the Exchequer, formerly Lord Lucius Malfoy, is filled.**

**Please reply promptly with a disposition as to whether you will attend.**

**Secretary of Protocol, Francis McMillan Esq**.

Surprised by the letter, and handed it over to Nym as well, deep in thought. As both letters sunk in, the reality suddenly dawned. He was Heir of Gryffindor!

He handed the second letter to Nym in a bit of a daze. Is this what Dumbledore meant when they spoke after the Chamber of Secrets? It seems that everyone knows, except Harry.

Turning to Nym, Harry revised that last thought, as she seemed as stunned as he did.

"Harry, I had no idea you were heir to Gryffindor! Do you realize this will put on the Board of Governors of Hogwarts? Maybe you can put Dumbledore in his place. Wait, he would know you were an heir!" Nym was growing agitated.

Harry nodded. "Yet another in a long line of things he didn't tell me, for 'my own good', or 'to let me have a normal childhood'. If I was going to have all these responsibilities as an adult, when did he think I should start to learn about them? I would have become an adult officially in one year. How was I supposed to learn all my subjects at school, and estate management, law, civic responsibilities, and the appropriate Wizarding traditions associated with all of this?

Sudden realization dawned on him. With an astonished look, and a subdued voice, Harry continued.

"Unless he wasn't going to have me trained at all, except for combat training. The only logical reason he wouldn't train me as yet is to keep me sheltered, and dependant on him. He hoped for me to see him as the only way to defeat Voldemort, and to leave my family legacy and responsibilities to him to handle as he saw fit. The only real question is weather he did it just to remain in control, or if he was just going according to his 'plan for the greater good'."

They stared at each other, speechless for a moment. Harry hardened his face in resolve. His aura flared, then dimmed, so that it appeared he was surrounded by a halo.

"Nym, please get dressed, I intend to go to Gringotts today, and would appreciate your company." His face cracked a lopsided smile. "Although I appreciate your present attire, I don't think it would be fair to those poor unfortunate souls in Diagon Alley to see what they can't have."

Nym leaped out of bed and tackled her now laughing husband.

"It's still early, and you owe me for that last crack. I'll get dressed after I take my payment out of your hide. Come to bed, like I told you to before, and we'll go to Gringotts after lunch."

Harry shortly found out that Nym wasn't sore at all, as they spent the next two hours exploring and honing their technique for pleasuring each other.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Just before lunch, Harry flooed Gringotts, and sent a letter to the Wizengamot. Telling them he would be there.

The new couple felt slightly out of sorts having their lunch made for them by Dobby and Winky. Both decided to invite Remus to join them on their visit to Gringotts, which he readily accepted.

Just before they left, Nym cornered Harry for a quick, but intense, kiss. As Harry was recovering, Nym whispered to him.

"Harry, dear, you are glowing. I think it's impressive, but you're easy enough to spot normally. Could you see if you can tone it down a bit, maybe even use it to change your appearance?"

Harry concentrated on his aura, as he could always see it, and pushed the light sideways, or, at least that's how it felt to him. Nym gasped and started to laugh.

"You have to teach me that one Harry. You just disappeared. It isn't like disillusionment either, as you leave no shadow. Why don't you try something else?"

Learning as he went, he tried aiming the light back toward himself, causing another gasp from his wife, as she stepped back.

"Now you are a ball of darkness. What are you doing? Are you affecting the light directly? Maybe you should try to affect what is causing the light."

Harry released all controls he was applying to the light, and carefully examined his aura. The light seemed to come from the point where the containment, that Aurora taught him, met the air around it. He then modified that flexible wall, and made it thicker, but more diffuse. He noticed a light go away, and concentrated hard to NOT see astrally. Apparently the light was gone, and now he knew what to look for next time.

Next, he shot his wand out of the forearm holster he was given as a birthday/wedding present. Before he could speak 'Muto identia' , the glamour was already applied.

Nym smiled at him in a bittersweet way. "You could pass for a young Sirius. I don't think it would be a good idea to meet Remus looking like that."

Harry swallowed, trying to hide his own emotions, and changed the glamour to short blond hair, as opposed to long black.

The glowing problem solved, and an appropriate glamour set, they flooed to the Leaky Cauldron.

Remus didn't recognize the tall blond man with the raven-haired beauty at his side by how they looked, but by scent. Walking up to them, he addressed them warmly.

"Dora, James, how good to see you both." Remus hugged them, and escorted them out of the inn toward the Alley.

"I must say, Harry, that is a very good glamour. Nym, as always, if I didn't have my furry little problem, I couldn't have recognized you."

The couple smiled at the compliments, and Harry now fully realized how accomplished Remus was at duplicity. Coming up with false names, while ones they would know, on the fly. Harry knew he was seeing the Marauder for the first time.

The Alley was busy, as was usual for this time of day. Harry noticed the devastation in Knockturn Alley as they passed its entrance, but saved his questions for later.

When they entered the bank, Harry fought the urge to stare at the wards, that appeared to him as multi-colored geometric patterns connected by varying thicknesses of lines and curves. When he got to the counter, the goblin looked at him blankly, and seemed to move his hand under the counter. Harry saw a multi-hued light hit him from the direction of the goblin, and saw whatever spell it was shatter in his aura, which flared briefly at the contact. The goblin's eyes widened, and he moved his hand in the same way again. Harry clenched his fist, they were attacking him, and the goblin yelped in pain, as he pulled his hand out from under the counter, shaking it, staring disbelievingly at the waft of smoke drifting up from where his hand was.

"My friends and I are here to see Ragnot, who has asked us to come." Harry said somewhat tightly, handing the letter to the surprised goblin.

"My apologies, Lord Potter. The spell was not an attack, just a way for us to see through glamours, as we need to know who we are dealing with." The goblin sputtered an apology, then motioned to another goblin standing behind the tellers.

"Take over here, I need to take these humans to Ragnot. This one is supposed to be the Archon, or at least that's the popular theory. He just fried my entire defensive board without a wand or a word."

Upon hearing this conversation, Harry realized they were speaking Gobbledygook. Before he could fully contemplate the meaning or effects of his realization, the goblin returned, once more acting solicitous.

"I am Hamfast, if you will follow me please?" The goblin spoke in English, after which he led them through a labyrinth of hallways. Somehow, when they reached their destination, Harry knew they had been led round the long way, and that Ragnot's was no more than a few hundred feet from the entrance of the bank.

As they entered, Hamfast spoke to Ragnot in Gobbledygook.

"Here are the humans you wanted to see. The one called Potter destroyed my teller defense board, left it smoldering. He didn't say anything, or lift a wand. He seemed to know that I hit him with a glamour revealing spell."

Ragnot looked to be a much older goblin, and was observing Harry as Hamfast spoke, his eyes narrowed.

"I think you missed something in your report Hamfast. While listening to your report, I was watching the party you led in here. If Lord Potter is the yellow haired one, I do believe he understands our language."

Hamfast spun to stare at Harry, mouth agape. Harry had to fight a smile, as he spoke to them in their own tongue.

"It is a recent development, Ragnot. I seem to be able to understand and speak Gobbledygook. It's as great a surprise to me as it is to you. Would you mind if we switched to English, so my friends could understand what's being said?"

"Of course, Lord Potter, we will speak so all present can understand." Ragnot answered in English. "We would not want to be rude to our customers, right Hamfast?"

Hamfast nodded and beat a hasty retreat, as Ragnot invited them to sit. The goblin slid a parchment over to Harry, and said, "Please place your thumb on the circle at the corner of the sheet. It will take a drop of your blood, and then the parchment will fill up with the name of any family to which you are the heir."

Harry pressed his thumb to the parchment, and felt the sting of blood being withdrawn, then gasped as several strands of magic shot from the parchment to a box on Ragnot's desk, then shot downward. Intuitively Harry's 'sight' followed the strands to a room some 200ft below them, where there were thousands of blood samples stored.

As Harry brought his awareness back to himself, he noticed several names appearing.

They read:

Potter''

Gryffindor''

Black''

McGonagall

Lupin

Petigrew

MacManus

Wallace''

Jones (xiii)

Vellitti''

Gwynedd''

Caithness''

Hagrid

Harry stared at the sheet in shock. Nym was looking between the sheet and Remus, speechless.

"Each name with a quote denotes that you are the head of that family, or owner of that vault. For the other names, you are the designated heir. Potter, Gryffindor, Caithness and Gwynedd are together, Potter being the only family vaults. Black and Vellitti are also grouped, though few Blacks have visited the Vellitti vault. You are the 52nd person to come into the possession of the Wallace vault. As of yet, none have been able to enter it."

Ragnot smiled his disturbing goblin smile. "The probate on the Black will ended with this heritage test today. Would you like to see any or all of your 12 vaults today, Lord Potter?"

Harry numbly nodded, and Ragnot led the three to a waiting cart, where a much younger goblin waited. He stood as the group entered,

"Lord Potter, I am Firmblade. It is my honor to escort you to your vaults. Please ask for me each time you come to Gringotts. It has been my family's task to oversee the Potter, Gryffindor, and associated vaults since their inception. Where would you like to go first?"

Nym and Remus were shocked. They had never seen a goblin so polite to anyone. Harry didn't seem to notice, as he was looking through the paperwork, which listed the vaults and their contents.

"Could you take us to the Wallace vault, number 356? There is nothing written on what is in it other than an estimate on Galleons, roughly seven million."

"Of course, Lord Potter. If you and your party will follow me, we'll get started."

Firmblade led them to a cart that looked different than any they had seen before. The seats were overstuffed and plush, covered in bright red and blue cloth. Harry noticed the web work of spells on the cart, and everyone noticed how background noise disappeared when they took their seats.

The ride was unlike any of them had before. Though the cart moved as fast, or even faster, than a normal cart, the ride was quiet, only the slightest trace of wind, and the sharp turns and ups and downs did not feel as abrupt and powerful as they obviously were.

Quickly they arrived at vault 356. Firmblade opened the vault door, only to see the contents of the vault were blurred, on the other side of an arch. This arch was apparently made of marble, with moonstones set along the underside. It bore on unsettling resemblance to the arch in the Death Chamber in the Department of Mysteries.

To astral sight, the arch opened into a spartan room, with what resembled a bier in the middle of it. On the bier rested a huge man, only slightly smaller than Hagrid. A sword lay on top of the man, his hands holding the hilt to the center of his chest, the blade extending down past his knees.

Harry walked straight in, and felt himself pulled bodily into the Astral Plane.

Remus and Nym saw Harry enter the arch and disappear. Before either could question the goblin, Firmblade told them this was normal for this vault, and everyone who entered came back.

As Harry entered the arch, the man on the bier sat up, resting the sword across his knees. He wore a long yellow shirt that went halfway down his thighs, with a belt holding it in around his waist. He had green pants, or were they called trews. His boots went up to mid calf.

He smiled at Harry, and shook his head. He had long red-blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Yiur by far the youngest lad who's come to me. How did ya inherit while still a bairn, my lad?"

His Scottish burr was far stronger than Professor MacGonagalls.

"Weel, there's nothing for it. Choose yiur weapon, or turn about, for yiur not getting in here whi'out a fight."

Harry held out his hand, and the Sword of Gryffindor appeared in it. The large Scot stood and smiled.

"Yiur the firs' in weel nigh 300 year to draw a blade. Have at you, then."

He advanced quickly, aiming a downward chop at Harry, who leapt to the side. Despite his quick dodge, Harry was hard pressed to keep the man away. After what seemed like forever, a slash and riposte maneuver disarmed Harry. As the Scot's blade was descending for the coup de gras, Harry banished the man, and summoned his blade.

Harry was ready to go on the offensive when the man started to laugh. Harry had banished him into the bier, and he hit with enough force to do an unintentional back flip over it. Pulling himself off the floor, he sat once again on the bier, his laughter reduced to chuckling.

"It seems tha' you bested me." The man ruefully shook his head.

"I only got in one shot, how does that beat you?" Harry asked incredulously.

"But it was I who built yon arch, lad. Magic is supposed to be impossible here. I pulled you in ta the dream world, and locked down all magic here. According ta the books I read, Merlin was the only one who coulda cast spells here. So who are ya, lad?"

With a thought, the Sword of Gryffindor vanished, and Harry advanced to shake hands with this man.

"I'm Harry Potter, sir. I'm told I'm your 52nd heir." The other man's hand engulfed Harry's hand gently.

"I'm William Wallace. I'm surprised it took so long for one of my clan to marry into the Lord Protector's clan"

Harry's eyebrows shot up at the mention of the Famous Scots name.

"Weel, here's the real treasure in my vault. These 5 books woulda defeated the English, had I been a more powerful wizard."

Harry looked at the titles. Three began with '_Legio XXII Valeria Victrix'_. The other two read '_Arithmatica_' and '_Epistula Germania'_.

"Go, lad, and use these books well. You can hardly do worse than I".

Harry stepped forward, and felt himself leave the dream world. Behind him, he heard the sighs of relief from Nym and Remus.

The vault held gold, the books, and what appeared to be the sword that Wallace had used in the astral plane. Harry grabbed the books, which were in a portable carrier, and left the vault. As he walked back through the arch, he felt and saw it de-activate.

"It's always going to be something with you, isn't it, Harry" Nym said, hugging the wizard in question.

"Where to next?"

Looking over the paperwork, Harry scowled. " Caithness and Gwynedd vaults are just money and titles. The Vellitti vault is heirlooms and money. I say the next stop should be Gryffindor. After that, there are two Potter and 3 Black vaults."

The trip to vault 12, the Gryffindor vault, was longer than any of them expected. The last 5 minutes of the trip was at slow speed through small and winding passages. The vault door was flanked by two griffin statues, both en rampant.

"Lord Potter, you must approach the door alone, and place your hand in the circle at the center. After the vault's magic recognizes you, your friends may follow."

Harry followed the goblins instructions, placing his right hand in the circle. He watched as his touch keyed the magic protecting the vault. Both griffin statues bowed their heads, and the doors opened.

There was a wall some 3 meters from the doors, and hallways led left and right. Directly in front of him was a painting of Godric Gryffindor.

"James? Is that you?" The painting asked peering at him closely.

"Merlin, is that you, Harry? I seem to loose the ability to determine the passage of time if I'm not visited often. Where are your parents?"

At Harry's pained look, Godric renewed his scrutiny.

"They never made it out of hiding, did they?"

Harry shook his head sadly, but couldn't seem to find any words.

Godrics expression clouded, then his eyebrows rose in shock.

"You were the one who summoned my sword, three years ago was it! What could have possibly happened to you that you needed it?"

Harry related the story of the Chamber of Secrets to his famous ancestor. As they spoke, Nym and Remus came forward, and introductions were made all around.

Godric then explained to all that Gryffindor was more of a title than a name, given because of his affinity with those creatures. He then explained that one wing of this vault held his journals, going over the building of Hogwarts, the enchantment of the sorting hat, and of course the forging of his sword.

The other wing contained books on the entirety of wizarding law, self-updating, as well as land titles and the certificates to hold a Board of Governors seat at Hogwarts, and the Lord Protector of Magic title. The group left the vault with the titles, Godrics journals, and the scabbard for the Sword of Gryffindor.

Having taken longer than expected, Harry just picked up letters left by Sirius and his parents, as well as a few good books on defense, transfiguration, and charms, out of the Black and Potter vaults. The group then quickly returned to Grimmauld Place to have lunch, as well as sort out the massive inheritances that had just fallen into their laps.


End file.
